Sanctus
by FoREVer Nightwing
Summary: A mysterious new hero has made herself known to the world. The Young Justice wants answers... and The Light wants her power. Meanwhile, someone from the Dark Knight and the Boy Wonder's past returns...
1. Bird and Bat

**A/N: Hey! This is my first story here... yes, it contains an OC... but, believe me, she gets about as much screen time as Red Arrow (I'm not even kidding).**

**I started this way back in October on deviantART. The entire things is done, actually... all chapters have been submitted to deviantART and Quotev.**

**I hope you guys like it :)**

**~FoREVer Nightwing**

* * *

**Young Justice: ****Sanctus**

**Type:** Multi-chaptered

**Rating: **T

**Warnings: **Strong language, violence, blood and gore, some ideologically sensitive material

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Young Justice or any of the characters. They belong to DC Comics and Cartoon Network.

**Chapter 1- Bird and Bat**

**-Robin's POV-**

Recon mission. Easy, right?

Wrong.

I was supposed to be able to hack their systems, but they created something far more advanced than what I'm used to working with.

Technology from another world.

Long story short the mission failed… and I was stuck with a three hour lecture from Bats.

Fun…

* * *

I slammed the door on my way out of there. I tried to do what I could.

But trying is _never _enough for him. _Never._

I don't know how he does it. I've thought about it, and that seems to be the one thing I can't figure out.

I can hack the Batcave.

I can solve equations that even the smartest professors can't.

I can solve the Riddler's stupid riddles faster than Batman.

But I _can't _solve this one.

* * *

"How'd it go?" Wally asked.

"Oh, y'know." I said, "A bit of yelling, some cursing, a threat or two, the same ol' stuff."

"Man, Bats is way too hard on you." He sighed.

I chuckled. "Only when he's in the suit, dude."

"So he's not as uptight when he's not Batman?"

"Yeah."

"…Right… I'll believe it when I see it!"

I couldn't blame Wally. I'd probably say the same thing if I was in his shoes. Nobody on my team knew Batman's identity… or mine. Batman said we'd tell them someday, but something tells me that day was a long way off.

* * *

I didn't say much on the way back to the Batcave. I just listened to Linkin Park and stared out the window.

_Are you lost  
In your lies  
Do you tell yourself I don't realize_

"Dick?" I could hear Bruce's voice, but I didn't feel like talking. I turned up the music a little bit.

_Your crusade's a disguise  
Replace freedom with fear  
You trade money for lives_

"Dick…" He was growing impatient… and I was trying hard not to laugh.

_I'm aware of what you've done_

I heard Bruce sigh. "I guess I kinda deserve this."

Man, you have no idea.

_No, No more sorrow  
I've paid for your mistakes  
Your time is borrowed  
Your time has come to be replaced_

"Dick, I know you're mad at me…"

Yeah… mad… not really.

More like pissed.

Superboy pissed.

"But I'm only doing this for your own good."

_I see pain  
I see need  
I see liars and thieves  
Abuse power with greed_

"I've lost too many people in my life. I know you have, too."

_I had hope  
I believed  
But I'm beginning to think that I've been deceived_

Yeah. My parents. Everyone.

_You will pay for what you've done_

He removed his cowl. "I don't want to lose someone else in this war."

_No, No more sorrow  
I've paid for your mistakes  
Your time is borrowed  
Your time has come to be replaced_

I turned off my music.

"If you're so scared of losing someone," I said, "Then why'd you let me become your partner?"

"Well, you'd keep bugging me until you became Robin…" he said

"Heh… probably true…" I laughed.

"And I can't do this alone."

"Obviously."

Bruce laughed. "Do you understand what I'm trying to say, Dick?"

"Yeah, I guess."

"Good. How about when we get home we play some ball?"

"Yeah!"

* * *

The second we got into the Batcave, I practically ran out of the Batmobile.

It was rare to get any time with Bruce when we weren't kicking ass. He's a billionaire playboy, and not some kind of father figure.

At least, that's what they think.

Bruce took me in when I was nine. He said it was because the same thing happened to him when he was younger.

I guess I was lucky. If Alfred didn't get tickets for the circus, I'd probably be stuck in the orphanage.

Robin wouldn't exist.

And I'd probably end up a killer.

"Ready, Dick?" Bruce asked.

"Yeah! Ready to kick your sorry butt!" I laughed.

"Hey, you haven't won yet."

"You know I will!"

"We'll see about that."

* * *

"Told ya I'd win!" I laughed.

Bruce smirked. "I'll win next time, Dick."

"Whatever you say."

We just laughed. We may have never got these moments too often, but they were always fun. I always thought playing basketball was way better than hobnobbing with a bunch of rich people.

Then I started thinking about a bunch of stuff.

If my family didn't die, I'd probably be somewhere other than Gotham City.

I'd be preforming dangerous stunts with people watching in some weird mixture of fear and awe.

Robin wouldn't exist.

I wouldn't have met my friends.

I wouldn't be thinking about any of this.

I pretty much thought about it until I fell asleep.

* * *

I groaned loudly when my alarm went off. I was tempted to smash it and go back to sleep, but I suppressed the urge.

I stumbled out of bed, showered, and got dressed in my Gotham Academy uniform. I combed back my usually messy black hair then brushed my teeth.

I walked down stairs, ready for another boring Monday. At least I could afford to fall asleep in class. I'll pass it anyway.

"Good morning, Master Dick." Alfred said the second I get off the stairs.

"G'morning, Alfred." I yawned.

"Lack of sleep, sir?"

"Nah. Just allergic to Mondays."

"Very funny sir."

I did hate Mondays. I suppose it's just the fact that I have a couple days ahead until Friday. Or maybe it's because Mondays are slow.

So. Freaking. Slow.

I ate my breakfast quickly then left for school. The sooner I got there, the sooner Monday would end.

* * *

The day started out normal.

I talked to Barbara. We talked about the usual stuff. Batman and Robin, gymnastics, Batman and Robin, the Joker, Batman and Robin, Batman and Robin, and Batman and Robin.

Oh, did I mention Batman and Robin?

Barbara's dad is the commissioner of the Gotham City Police Department. She wants to be a detective, but Commissioner Gordon doesn't want her to. "It's too dangerous." He'd always say.

No offence, Jim, but your daughter could be as scary as Batman when she wanted to be.

Anyway, she'd start talking about us, trying to deduce our identities. If we were given a current events project, she'd choose Batman and Robin. I see pictures of us in her locker.

I'm not saying I'm afraid she'll discover our identities. I'm afraid that she'll get hurt when she does.

Not that I care about her in _that_ way.

* * *

After fifth period, things got weird.

Nah… Weird wasn't the word for this.

More like disastrous. Heavy on the _dis_.

The clown prince of crime himself made an appearance at Gotham Academy.

"Attention students and teachers of Gotham Academy!" The Joker yelled, "You are now my hostages!"

Oh shit.

The school went crazy. Students and teachers were trying to run from his henchmen. Except for me… and probably Artemis, who I assumed was across the school.

The Joker laughed. "Yes, yes, keep screaming and running! That makes my job so much better!"

Hopefully the students could stay outta trouble long enough for me to make a quick wardrobe change.

* * *

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Listen to them scream! It's music to my ears!" the Joker cackled.

"Well, you sure have terrible taste in music." I say.

The Joker looked at me. He had that insanely creepy smile that always made me shudder.

Of course, I'd never show fear in front of that son of a bitch.

"Ah, hello there, Bird Boy! I don't recall inviting you to my little party…"

"Well, I didn't want to miss out, so I crashed it."

The Joker cackled. "Didn't your mother teach you that it's impolite to ruin someone else's fun?"

"No, actually."

"Well, she must have been a pretty terrible parent."

I felt like stuffing his face into a paper shredder. Nobody talks about anyone from my family like that.

_Nobody_.

I was stupid enough to charge blindly at the douche.

The Joker grabbed me by my neck and slammed me against the wall.

_Dick, you fucking idiot._

"Hmmm… She didn't teach you manners either? Your father must have gotten fed up with her fast… or maybe he was just as bad." The Joker said.

"SHUT UP!" I yelled. I head-butted him.

"You little brat!"

Joker flipped open his switchblade. He slashed at me, but I dodged all of them.

I was pissed.

Way past Superboy pissed.

A little switchblade wouldn't stand a chance against a member of the Bat Family who was way past Superboy pissed.

I should know. After all, I am Batman's protégé.

And Batman gets that way.

A lot.

I dodge each swipe. Then I land a pretty decent punch. It felt good to hear a crack, or see a little blood.

Maybe that's what some people see in killing.

My emotions give me an edge in battle for so long.

After past Superboy pissed, there's rage.

And at that point, I can barely land a hit.

Joker's able to predict what the hell I'll do next.

Not good.

Not good at all.

Joker's switchblade grazes my skin a couple times.

It hurt, but I've had worse.

I have scars from far bloodier battles.

I've had ribs bruised, cracked, and broken.

I've had bones shatter.

Hell, I've nearly been beaten to death by Two-Face.

So a few cuts wouldn't slow me down. Yet.

Joker grabs a couple smoke bombs.

No… not smoke bombs.

_Aww, fuck…_

I looked around. No students.

Good.

Joker threw down the bombs. I didn't get to my rebreather in time.

But I didn't start laughing…

Shit… a feign attack.

I felt a knife pierce my shoulder. I didn't let out a scream. That's just what he wanted.

Fear.

And I wasn't going to give it to him.

I removed the knife from my shoulder. I cursed loudly as I took it out.

As the smoke cleared away, I saw Joker. He had another switchblade in his hand.

"This next one goes through your heart."

He threw the switchblade.

I was able to dodge it… but it hit my other arm.

"Bird Boy, this isn't very fun…" the Joker mumbled.

Not much fun for me either, Joker.

This was bad. I was getting pretty weak from the blood loss and pain.

But I can't stop.

Not now.

He grabbed another switchblade.

"I won't miss this time…" He laughed.

I knew I didn't have much of a chance this time.

I could try to dodge, but it'd still hit me.

He threw it.

But it didn't get very far.

An arrow stopped it.


	2. Magic

**Chapter 2- Magic**

**-Red Arrow's POV-**

That was close.

Too close.

I swear, Boy Wonder, you'd better be glad I was in Gotham.

I jumped down from the rafters next to Robin. He didn't seem shocked to see me.

"Recognized your arrow." He said, as though he knew what I was thinking.

Still a little snot.

Just like old times.

"Oh, so now we have the Bird Boy and the Archer Kid! Now it's a party!" the Joker laughed.

Robin scoffed. "Dude, anyone ever tell you you're the most annoying freak show in the entire universe?"

"Actually, you're the first! I'll take that as a compliment, Boy Blunder."

I could tell Robin was losing patience.

Really bad when fighting the Joker.

"This is getting on my nerves. Are you gonna make this easy or are we gonna take you down the hard way?" I growled.

"You should know the answer to that by now, Red Arrow." Robin sighed.

"Right. Hard way it is."

* * *

I came to Gotham to get some Intel on the Joker.

I'd need it, seeing how he's with The Light.

He's no longer just Gotham's problem.

He's my problem.

Our problem.

When I heard he was attacking Gotham Academy…

Well, the answer's obvious.

I was surprised Batman wasn't there.

Then again, he's probably doing something that's preventing him from checking it out. Whatever it is.

When I got there, I saw Robin.

Alone.

Getting nowhere in his one-on-one battle with the Joker.

I might not be a member of the Young Justice, but he's still my friend.

Joker had a switchblade.

And Robin was bleeding.

What did that tell me?

Joker was winning.

Great.

He threw the knife.

And I shot it down.

* * *

"Hey! Do me a favor and snap the hell out of your day dream!"

I growled at Robin. "I wasn't day dreaming!"

"Then what were you doing?" he asked, dodging a punch from Joker.

"Thinking."

"Like there's a difference." He scoffed. Robin punched Joker in the nose. I heard a crack, so I assumed he broke his nose.

Nice.

"Bwah, you thing a bwoken nose will stop me?" Joker yelled at Robin.

"Uh, what was that? I can't seem to understand you." He laughed.

The Joker took out a gun.

Robin and I both remember this trick.

"Ready?" I asked.

"Yup." He said.

The Joker pulled the trigger.

A little pole with _bang _written on a flag came out.

"Now!"

The Joker pulled the trigger a second time. A dark green coloured gas came out.

Like I said, we remembered this trick.

We already had our rebreathers prepared. All we have to do is find Joker.

Robin placed a small device where we were standing.

"This should absorb the Joker Venom before any of the students get it into their systems." He said.

As he said, the device absorbed all the Joker Venom.

When the venom cleared, I heard Robin mumble something.

The Joker was gone.

_Nice, Roy. Real nice._

* * *

"Damn it!" Robin growled loudly, "Damn it all!"

My thoughts exactly.

"I'll look out for him." I said, "You should probably get back to school."

"Dude, I've gotta worry about things here. School's the last thing on my mind now."

"Won't Batman have a cow?"

"Yeah…" he gave one of his impish laughs.

I hated those laughs. It irritated the shit out of me.

"Well, I gotta go before the police start questioning me." He said, "You'd better go, too."

"Right." I said.

Then I remembered something I wanted to ask.

"Hey, Robin, you-"

I didn't finish my question.

He was gone.

* * *

I stood on top of one of the Gargoyle statues in Gotham.

For a city packed with mentally insane criminals, it was beautiful in the fall.

Gotham looked even better in the snow.

Cheerful at Christmas. Then it's as gloomy as ever in the other seasons.

I guess each city had its season.

Star City was gorgeous in the summer.

Metropolis in the spring.

Central City in the fall.

And Gotham in the winter.

I looked down at the city, pushing its beauty out of my mind.

I searched the entire city.

No sign of the Joker.

Or Robin.

Must already be in his civilian clothes.

Or at Mount Justice. I wasn't sure.

_Might as well go home, Roy. The Joker's gone for now, and you're probably not gonna find Robin._

* * *

The second I get home, I change into my civilian clothes.

Maybe I wasn't too late.

Maybe she wouldn't notice.

Maybe Amy wouldn't kick my ass for being late.

"Roy, where were you? You're twenty minutes late!"

She noticed.

Damn.

"Sorry, Amy. I had to do something important and I lost track of time."

"You could have called!" she said.

"Yeah… sorry."

Amy laughed. "Stop saying you're sorry. You're starting to sound like my little brother."

"Right. Sor-" I cut myself off.

Amy Watson was the kind of girl who looks feminine, but could kick your ass if she wanted to. She hung out with the guys when she wasn't at Star Academy, and was as athletic as I was.

She's also an archer.

And a musician.

And an artist.

In other words, my kind of girl.

"We don't have much time before the circus starts." Amy sighed, "I was hoping to take a walk through the park before we went, but I guess it can wait until after the circus."

I felt guilty. I promised to meet her at seven, but I was at Gotham instead.

I'd make it up to her.

* * *

Haly's Circus.

I loved it.

Especially the stunts that the Flying Graysons did.

I was always impressed with their final act. The one without the net.

The one where four of the Graysons died, one was paralyzed, and the other one was left an orphan.

They didn't make any shows in Gotham after that.

But they still came to Star City.

They just had an act that wasn't as good as the Graysons.

Amy didn't seem to care. I think all she wanted to see was animals.

"Look at those tigers! They're gorgeous!" she said.

"Yeah." I said.

I smiled. Something I didn't do too often.

We watched the rest of the circus together.

* * *

When I got home, I just thought about everything.

Becoming Speedy.

Walking away from Young Justice.

What Robin was about to say before Batman cut him off a few weeks back.

The light.

And everything in between.

My thoughts were interrupted when I heard something on the police radio.

Robbery in Star City National Bank.

I suited up and grabbed my bow and quiver.

* * *

By the time I got there, the robbers already got into the safe.

Perfect.

If I could close them in, they'll be ready for the police.

Before I ran two feet into the bank, a blur rushed past me.

That blur was a girl with long black and red hair. She wore a red, green, and black costume. She wore a domino mask similar to mine, but it had red eyes instead of white.

"Somnus." She said.

The robbers were out cold.

"Ligatis." Ropes bound them.

"Tutus Propinquus." The safe door closed.

She looked at me.

"Esses tardius o mortalis."

She was speaking Latin.

She seemed to know what I was thinking.

"I take it you do not speak Latin very well?"

I nodded.

She smirked. "We shall meet again, mortal… and please, do bring your friends."

She left.

Who the hell was that?


	3. Sanctus

**Chapter 3- Sanctus**

**-Kid Flash's POV-**

Seen it.

Seen it.

Have one.

Seen it.

Damn…. over six hundred channels and we have _nothing_ to watch.

Connor and M'gann were watching TV with me. At least, the little fragments of various shows as I flipped through the channels.

_In other news, the Joker was seen attacking Gotham Academy-_

"Boring!" I said, switching the channel.

"Wally! Turn it back!" M'gann said.

"Why?" I asked.

"It might be important!"

I switched it back to the news.

_Joker took the students of Gotham Academy hostage, but was stopped by Robin, the Boy Wonder and Red Arrow._

What?

Did he hear correctly?

Robin and Red Arrow stopped the Joker.

_However, the Joker is loose in Gotham City._

Okay, I kinda expected that.

Don't think I'm trashing my friends. They're smart, strong, and damn good at what they do.

But they're nowhere near Joker's level.

And to get to the Joker's level, you have to be as insane as him.

Or, at least, that's what Robin told me.

I always wondered how Robin could deal with insane criminals. I'm surprised he hasn't become insane!

I heard he had to guard Arkham Asylum when Batman went on a mission that was "Too dangerous for a boy Robin's age."

I also heard he almost went insane.

Almost.

If I were him, I'd stay there in a fucking straight jacket!

And Red Arrow… the enemies he fight are easier to battle than the crazies in Gotham.

They don't use fear gas.

They don't do massacres for laughs.

They don't have plants killing people.

They aren't bird obsessed.

They didn't fall in love with a killer.

They don't have to deal with intimidation from the bat.

Or deal with the bird's quips and kick-ass acrobatics.

They're normal-ish criminals who just got a little lucky and don't live in Gotham.

They just don't have as big a punishment.

Same thing for Central City. We get your basic criminals, a super villain once or twice a week, and a murder once in a great while.

Metropolis is the same deal.

Gotham's different.

A murder every couple of weeks.

A crime every night, usually by some nutcase who should be in Arkham.

I almost feel sorry for the kid.

Almost.

If he heard me say that, Robin would kick my ass.

The same way he does with Joker.

And Harley.

Freeze.

Penguin.

Poison Ivy.

And (very rarely) Catwoman.

But I heard the Bat Family was actually pretty big.

I heard that Robin once ditched (by ditched, I mean _fired_) his role… and another Robin took the mantle.

That one was murdered.

Then he returned.

I heard he was taking lessons from someone. I dunno who, but whoever it was, they did a damn good job.

I asked him about it once, and he simply said he didn't know the name.

Just that he knew ways to kill.

And half of them could look like accidents or suicides.

Next time I saw him, I kept my distance. When Batman noticed, he told me Robin wouldn't use them unless instructed.

Which, in other words, meant never.

* * *

**Recognized: Robin B-0-1**

The second we see Robin, M'gann rushed over there.

"Ohmigod, are you okay?" she asked the second she sees his shoulder wounds.

"Yeah." He said.

"Dude, you and Red Arrow taking the Joker alone? Were you trying to get yourself killed?" I asked.

"You're starting to sound like the bat." Robin laughed.

"Hey, I'm just saying. Fighting the Joker is suicide!"

"Fighting other insane criminals is great practice."

"Okay, maybe you have a point."

"What's Joker's deal, anyway?" Connor asked.

We look at Robin.

"It's a long story." He said.

"How long?" I asked.

"Long."

"So, I'll need about three bags of popcorn."

"Trust me, you do not want to eat when you're listening to this…"

"Why not?"

"Dude, when Batman told me this story, I had nightmares for a week."

"Okay… so no popcorn… get on with the story!"

* * *

I hate it when that kid's right.

The second he finishes the story, we were silent.

Even yours truly.

M'gann had this shocked look on her face.

Connor just looked sickened.

And me?

Well… I had a combination of 'What the hell' and 'Oh shit, I'm gonna piss myself.'

"Oh my god…" M'gann said.

"Yeah." Robin said.

"That's just…" Conner said, "That's just messed up."

"Who knew the Joker had a heart?" I joked.

"Wally!" M'gann scolded.

"I'm only trying to lighten the mood!"

"Well, that didn't help!"

"As sad as it is, Wally's right…" Robin said.

"See? Rob agrees!"

"But that doesn't mean you should joke about it."

"Dude, what the hell?"

Before Robin could say anything, Batman came in.

He didn't need to say anything for us to know we had a mission.

A big one.

* * *

"Hey, where are Aqualad and Artemis?" M'gann asked.

"They won't be joining you on this mission." Batman said.

"Okay… so, what's the mission, Bats?" I asked.

"Cadmus has been creating and distributing special weapons to various crime syndicates. You are to stop their next shipment, and, if possible, destroy the warehouse." Batman said.

"Location?" Robin asked.

"Africa."

* * *

We arrived at the warehouse near a port in Africa a few hours later.

The second I saw it, my jaw dropped.

That warehouse was HUGE!

"Okay, we need to be quick about this." Robin said.

"Hey, who put you in charge?" I asked.

"Miss M and Superboy. We took a vote." He said.

"Miss M, I need you to go stealth and find the weakest point on the ship. You'll need to set up about six explosives on that spot to ensure all the weapons are destroyed."

"Okay." She said. She turned invisible and flew off.

"Superboy, create the biggest distraction possible with as few casualties as possible. Lead them all away from the ship."

"Sounds easy enough." Superboy said.

"KF, we're taking out the warehouse. Don't do anything until I say so, okay?"

"Right!" I said.

* * *

It didn't take long to infiltrate the warehouse. Those guards abandoned their posts the second Superboy landed and began chucking boulders.

"We just have to find where the weapons are being manufactured." Robin said. He began hacking the systems to find a map.

"Dude, you are such a nerd." I laugh.

"Shut up or I'll kick your ass." He said.

"Yeesh, sorry."

"Got it! Back of the warehouse."

* * *

Damn.

I don't think I've ever seen so many weapons in one place before.

Apparently Robin was thinking the same thing, because I saw the eyes of his domino mask grow wide.

"Holy shit…" he said.

"Language, Boy Wonder."

Robin and I looked up.

Hoo boy…

Vertigo.

"I'm surprised you two managed to worm your way in here. Although I still believe it was- Where'd the bird go?"

_That disappearing act… Nice one, Rob!_

"No matter… I just need to listen for you." He said.

Robin jumped out from behind.

_Fuck yes!_

But Vertigo was faster.

He grabbed Robin by the neck and threw him across the room. Robin slammed into a wall.

"Robin!" I yelled. I sped over to him.

"Damn… that hurt…" he winced.

"Impressive, Boy Wonder. Nothing but a wince." Vertigo laughed, "I should expect such from the pupil of Batman."

"KF!" Robin said.

I nodded.

I charged at Vertigo.

And, as we hoped, he dodged.

Robin threw a couple birdirangs at Vertigo.

He dodged those too.

"You're getting annoying, bird boy." He growled.

Robin just laughed. "You're not the first to say that."

"You little brat!" Vertigo yelled. He used his psychic powers on Robin.

"Vertigo!" I yell.

Vertigo kept laughing as Robin struggled to keep from getting dizzy.

"Defiant, aren't you?" he asked.

Robin growled, falling to his knees.

Then he smirked.

"What?"

I kicked that son of a bitch in the face.

Hard.

Vertigo howled in pain. Robin jumped up and electrocuted him his hand-held taser. Vertigo swatted him back. He managed to land on his feet, but fell to his knees again.

"Still dizzy?" I asked.

"Yeah." He muttered.

"Ready to finish this douche?"

"Hell yes."

Robin took out a pair of Eskrima sticks. He jumped up high in the air.

I sped towards Vertigo. I kicked that son of a bitch as high as I could.

Robin used both Eskrima sticks and slammed Vertigo into the ground.

"Looks like we're done here. KF, you get Vertigo out of here. I'll set the explosives." Robin said.

* * *

The warehouse was destroyed.

Vertigo's locked up.

All that we gotta do now is have some fun.

That is, all of us except Robin, who has to go take down some crazy in Gotham.

"So, what should we do?" M'gann asked.

"How 'bout a movie? Gimmie a sec and I'll find a couple we can watch." I said before speeding off to my room.

I came back in a few seconds with a couple of movies.

"Okay, we have Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Parts one and two, Nightmare on Elm Street, and Marley and Me. Which one should we watch first?"

"I've always wanted to see Marley and Me. I heard it was sad…" said Artemis.

"Anyone else wanna see it?" I asked.

"Sure!" M'gann said.

"I don't care…" Conner muttered.

"I do not mind watching it." Kaldur said.

* * *

After about two hours of laughing, crying, and completely breaking down when Marley died, we decided to watch another movie.

"Okay, what should we watch next?" M'gann asked.

**Recognized: Robin B-0-1**

"Hey, Robin's back!" I said.

Robin ran into the room gasping for air.

"You… you guys are… not gonna believe what I just saw…" he gasped.

"What was it?" Kaldur asked.

Robin sucked in a deep breath and started saying things so quickly even I couldn't follow.

"Slow down." Kaldur said, "Start over."

"Sorry. I saw some girl where the Penguin was supposed to be and I said, 'You should get the hell outta here before you get yourself killed.' And then she said something in Latin and suddenly the Penguin was gone and when I asked her what she did with him she said something else in Latin and I was suddenly seeing this weird illusion about… well, that's not important right now… anyway, she uses some kind of magic that I'm not familiar with, and I'm not sure if she's with the Light or not."

"Do you know her name?" Kaldur asked.

"Sanctus."


	4. Emotions

**Chapter 4- Emotions**

**-Miss Martian's POV-**

I have no idea what just happened…

Robin ran in and started telling us about a girl named Sanctus.

About magic he wasn't familiar with.

And about a Penguin… I didn't even know he fought penguins… how cruel!

Wait… maybe he was talking about the fat man named Penguin.

Hello, M'gann! Of course it's the fat man!

"Dude… what do you mean "disappeared"? Are you high or something? Maybe you were seeing things." Wally said.

"I KNOW WHAT I SAW!" Robin yelled angrily.

We all jumped. Robin _never_ raised his voice like that.

"Sorry… But I know what I saw, and I know it happened." He sighed.

He almost seemed sad. He wasn't telling us something… I could tell.

Conner seemed to know as well.

_What do you think he's hiding, M'gann?_ He thought.

_I'm not sure… but we should try to find out._ I thought back.

_Couldn't you try to read his mind? Or find something there that might tell us?_

_No. I can't. I might see something I shouldn't._

_Oh… then, what should we do?_

_Maybe we should ask him about it when Wally, Artemis, and Kaldur aren't around._

_Okay._

* * *

It took a while, but we finally got him alone.

He was sitting on the beach, staring at the ocean.

_He's depressed._ Conner thought.

_Yeah. _I thought back.

"Robin, is there something wrong?" I asked.

He jumped, then turned around.

"Damn it, you almost gave me a heart attack!" he said.

"Sorry." I said.

He gave a small smirk. "Heh, it's alright… you'd think I'd be used to people sneaking up on me after four years of being in the bat's shadow."

Robin's smirk faded, and his gaze went back to the ocean.

"So, is there something wrong?" I asked.

He mumbled something.

"Huh?"

"He said he didn't want to talk about it." Conner said.

"Oh."

"So, could you guys leave me alone? I just want a little time to think." Robin sighed.

"Sure… but we're here if you want to talk." I said.

Robin smiled. "Thanks."

I smiled back. "Well, we are friends. That's what friends do."

* * *

Humans are so complicated.

Earth is so complicated.

Happy Harbor High is complicated.

Don't get me wrong, I love going there.

I love being with the Bumblebees.

It's just… complicated.

I don't know how humans do it.

How do they handle all the homework?

The pressure of tests?

The hot summers?

I have so many questions that may not be answered… but I don't care.

I'm here.

That's all that matters.

When we got out of school, Conner and I decided we should try again.

Maybe Robin would be willing to tell us what was wrong.

Maybe not.

Only one way to find out…

* * *

We tried.

And failed.

Is it because of his identity? Does it reveal the boy behind the mask?

Or…

Is it just too painful?

I wasn't sure.

And Conner had a difficult time telling.

We should expect that from the Boy Wonder.

He was trained by the best.

Trained to be emotionless.

But… for some reason…

Part of me believes that he wants to live a normal life.

To be with his friends and family.

If only I knew.

* * *

"You guys have the night off tonight!" Black Canary said with a smile.

"Let me guess… With the exception of Robin, who has to kick some crazy dude's ass." Wally laughed.

"No, Batman gave him the night off as well."

"Sweet!" Robin said.

Black Canary smiled. "You guys have some fun… just don't trash the place."

"No need to worry about that! We're going for a night on the town!" Wally said.

"Oh, let's invite Zatana!" I said.

"Maybe we should invite Roy, too." Kaldur said.

"Aww, no way. I don't want to be around him." Artemis said.

"Can't you two not fight for a couple hours?" Robin asked.

"Or we can leave Arty here." Wally joked.

"You little-"

"Please, stop it. You guys are acting like two-year-olds." Robin muttered.

"Yeah. Are we going or not?" Conner asked.

"Fine." Artemis said, "But I'm keeping my distance."

"Okay!" I said, "Let's call Zatana and Roy already and decide what we're going to do!"

* * *

Zatana and Roy were here in about ten minutes.

Roy glared at Artemis the second he saw her, but didn't say a word.

Good. He was keeping his promise to Robin.

Zatana seemed glad to see everyone.

And everyone was glad to see her.

Especially Robin.

"So, what are we gonna do?" Zatana asked.

"Haly's Circus is in Star City. We could go see it." Roy suggested.

"Oh! I've always wanted to see a circus!" I said.

"I'm down with that." Wally said.

"I don't care." Artemis said.

"I do not have any problems with it." Kaldur said.

Conner just grunted.

"I'm okay with it." Zatana said.

"How about you, Robin? You want to see the circus?" I asked him.

He was silent.

Deep in thought.

"Robin?" Zatana asked. She put her hand on Robin's shoulder.

"Huh? Oh… sure, I guess." He said.

I could tell something was wrong.

He can't hide everything from me.

And I am going to find out.

* * *

We were in Star City about twenty minutes later.

"The circus doesn't start for an hour." said Roy, "What should we do until then?"

"Get something to eat?" Wally suggested.

"Of course you say that." Conner said.

"Hey, I didn't eat much before we left!"

"You had two bags of potato chips." Artemis said.

"That's not much!"

"Please don't start fighting." I said, "We're trying to have some fun."

"M'gann is right. Please refrain from fighting, at least for tonight." Kaldur said.

* * *

After we ate, we headed down to the circus.

Robin was still silent.

He was silent the entire time.

Which was not normal.

_Robin, something's bothering you… what is it?_ I ask him telepathically.

_Nothing's bothering me… I'm just tired._ He said.

_Liar._

_I'm not lying, M'gann._

_Robin, don't make me go in there._

_If I tell you, will leave me alone about it?_

_Yes._

_I can only say that I've had bad memories at the circus… not "embarrassing" memories… more like tragic._

_Oh… so, that's all you can tell me?_

_Yeah. Blame the Bat._

_I think it's more than just Batman…_

_No._

_Robin, I know you're lying._

_Fine. Yeah. But I don't want to talk about it._

_Okay. But I am here if you do want to talk._

_I know._

* * *

Once the circus ended, we went back to Mount Justice.

Zatana went home and we all sat together in the living room.

Kaldur, Wally, and Artemis were talking together.

Robin was listening to his IPOD and reading _Thirteen Reasons Why_.

And I told Conner what Robin told me at the circus.

Telepathically, of course.

_So… a tragic memory… at a circus?_

_Yes._

_Really? Maybe the clowns just scared him when he was young. Not very tragic._

_Conner!_

_Hey, I'm just saying._

_Well, it's something more. He didn't say, partly because it gives away his identity._

_Partly?_

_Yes. He said he wouldn't talk about it, even if Batman DID allow him to._

_Man… now I really want to know…_

_Me too… but we can only wait._

I _will _find out… Someday.

He can't hide those emotions forever.


	5. Memories

**Chapter 5- Memories**

**-Superboy's POV-**

I still found it difficult to believe that Robin had a tragic memory at the circus. I mean, the G-Gnomes taught me about the circus.

Heart-stopping stunts.

Lame clown acts.

Idiots who shouldn't taunt a tiger.

But… then I remember…

The G-Gnome told me about an incident that happened at one of the circuses.

A family of aerialists.

The wire on the trapeze snapped.

Four killed.

One paralyzed.

One an orphan.

Wait…

Could this be…

No. It can't…

But, it would explain Robin's acrobatic abilities.

Of course, he was taught by Batman.

Still…

He's faster than the Bat.

Is this that tragic memory?

I decide to wait to ask him.

Maybe when everyone's gone or asleep, I'll ask.

* * *

Once Kaldur, Artemis, and Wally were gone, I spoke to M'gann telepathically.

_I think I might know what that tragic memory is._ I tell her.

_What? You do?_ She asked.

_It's only a guess… but I remembered something a G-Gnome showed me._

_What was it?_

I showed her what I saw.

* * *

"_Ladies and Gentlemen… The Flying Graysons!"_

_The troupe preformed various acrobatic techniques, which kept the audience in awe. They gasped when the youngest fell…_

…_and threw a rope with a small grappling hook tied to the end, which connected to a trapeze._

"_And now… for the final act… as always, preforming __**without**__ the safety of a net!"_

_All members of the family but one get into position._

_The youngest sits and watches._

_Until…_

_**Snap**_

_All is silent._

_Then a __**scream **__is heard._

* * *

_Oh my god… Conner… you think… _M'gann asked.

_Yeah. I think he's the boy in that circus act. The one who sat out on the final act._ I say.

_Oh my god… I… I had no idea…_

_We still don't know if that's him. For all we know, he could be in the audience._

_Right… but whatever it is, we need to find out._

_Yeah._

"Uh… are you guys having a telepathic conversation?" Robin asked.

"Um…" M'gann said.

"Look, I don't care that much about it, but whatever it is, could you guys at least stop staring at me? I get enough of that at school."

"Uh… sure…" I said.

"Thank you." He said before turning his IPOD back on and continuing reading his book.

* * *

I walked past Robin's room on my way back to my room.

If I were lucky, Robin would still be awake.

I could hear classical music playing softly in his room.

Okay… so he is still awake…

How am I supposed to bring up the circus thing?

I can't just say "Hey, Robin, I was thinking about that tragic memory M'gann told me about and I figured it had something to do with the Flying Graysons."

…

Screw it, I'm just gonna say it.

I knocked on his door.

"It's open!" he said.

I walked into his room. I see Robin working on his laptop.

"Uh… what are you doing?" I asked.

"Hacking the Batcave. Batman's been hiding something, and I'm gonna find out."

"Won't Batman be pissed?"

"Yeah."

"So… why do it?"

Robin just sighed. "I've been working with him since I was nine… and when he hides something this important… it's like he doesn't trust me."

"Really? Aren't you, like, his son or something?"

"I'm not answering that."

"Okay… I guess…" I said.

_This is gonna be harder than I thought…_

"Robin… I've been thinking about that girl you told us about…"

"You mean Sanctus?"

"Yeah. Her."

"What about her?"

"That illusion you saw… what was it?"

Robin sighed. "Conner, I can't tell you. Sorry."

"Why? You don't trust us?" I yelled.

"I do trust you, but-" he said.

"But what?"

"THE BAT, OKAY?" he yelled.

The room was silent, save for the music in the background.

"If I could tell you guys, I would…" Robin sighed, "But I _can't_. Until Batman's convinced that you guys can be trusted, I can't even tell you guys my name. I want nothing more than to tell you guys everything… but that won't happen, not until he's willing to trust you guys."

He went back to working on his laptop.

"Sorry… I didn't know." I said.

"Just don't tell anyone, okay?" Robin said, not looking up from his laptop.

_Maybe now would be a good time to change the subject, Conner…_

"So… um… classical music, huh? I thought you preferred rock or metal or something like that." I said.

"I listen to a little of everything. Except for country. For some reason, it brings me down." He said, "Classical music's better when you're trying to concentrate, anyway. I find myself getting distracted when I'm listening to Linkin Park or Green Day while hacking a computer."

"Oh. What's this song called?" I asked.

"_Darkness of the Unknown_ from Kingdom Hearts II."

The song was kinda creepy. The name fit perfectly.

But, at the same time, it was beautiful.

"Got it." Robin smirked, "Looks like Bats out up a new firewall… it took me six minutes to hack the Batcave…"

"How long does it usually take?" I asked.

"Thirty seconds… looks like Bats really didn't want me to find out this… too bad." He laughed.

Before Robin had a chance to look for the file, there was a knock. He said something about wasting time trying to hack the computer and closed his laptop.

"It's open!" Robin yelled.

Kaldur walked in.

"We have a mission."

* * *

"The Joker has been spotted in Downtown Gotham. You are to prevent further damage and take him to Arkham Asylum." Batman said.

"Sounds easy enough!" Kid Flash said.

"Seriously, KF?" Robin asked.

"Well, the worse that could happen-"

"The worse that could happen is death." Robin said, "You guys have only seen him in action once, and he wasn't doing much. Trust me, you **don't** want to screw up."

We were silent.

Batman broke the silence "Go. Now."

* * *

Downtown Gotham.

Not the best place to go at night.

Especially when there's some psycho running around when he should be locked up in Arkham.

"We should split up into groups of two." Kaldur said.

"Yeah. Cover more ground." Robin agreed.

"Robin and I will go after the Joker. Kid Flash, you and Superboy create a distraction. Miss Martian, you and Artemis find and free any hostages."

"Ready to go, Supey?" Kid Flash asked.

I didn't answer him.

I was too busy staring at a figure flying through the sky.

_Superman?_

"Hey? Earth to Superboy!"

"Huh? Oh… I'm ready." I said.

Kid Flash smirked. "Let's do this!"

* * *

It was easy to get the clown guards to abandon their posts.

Defeating them?

Not so much.

There were about fifty of them.

Even to me, that's a lot of butt to kick.

After beating our way through thirty of them, Kid Flash and I were getting tired.

"Twenty more to go…" he said.

"Yeah…" I said.

"Sana!" I heard someone say.

Suddenly, I felt like I could take on billions of these clowns.

I see a girl wearing red, green, and black tights. She had a small silver belt and black hair with red highlights at the bottom. She wore a domino mask similar to Robin's, but it had red eyes instead of white.

"Noli computare. Amicus sum." She said with a smile.

"Er… what?" Kid Flash asked.

"She says she's a friend." I say.

Then I look at her. "Dic mihi Latine loqui." I sighed.

"My apologies. I don't normally speak English." She said.

"Who are you, anyway?" I asked.

"My name is Sanctus."

"What? You're that girl Robin was talking about!"

"Oh? He mentioned me?" Sanctus squealed, "Im somniare! Im somniare!"

Did she just…

Is she…

A Robin _fangirl_?

"What did he say?" She asked.

"Can we talk about this later? We're in the middle of something." I said.

"Stand back. I'll get rid of these clowns."

Her hands began to glow red.

"Aqua! Pluvia descendit!"  
Several orbs of water slammed down on the clowns.

"Ventus! Facite simul!"

Strong winds gathered the clowns together.

"Terra! Illa decipula!"

A prison made of giant rocks and hardened dirt trapped the clowns.

"Evanescunt!"

The clowns disappeared.

"Did you just-? Where the hell did you send them?" Kid Flash yelled.

"Don't worry. They're in a prison dimension just outside our galaxy." Sanctus replied.

"At least we know what happened to the Penguin…" I said.

"Now.. what did Robin say about me?" she asked, her eyes wide with anticipation.

This is going to be one hell of a night…


	6. Goddess of the Requiem

**A/N: Damn... Aqualad's POV is hard to write... And Harley Quinn! If you ask me, she would've been awesome in the Injustice League. Just sayin'.**

* * *

**Chapter 6- Goddess of the Requiem**

**-Aqualad's POV-**

It did not take long to find the Joker.

Actually, he revealed himself the second we stopped his clown army.

"Ah, Bird Boy and Fish Boy! So good to see you!" the Joker said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"The feeling isn't mutual, Joker." Robin said.

"Agreed. We would like to settle this quickly, Joker." I said.

"Well, I'm not cutting this party short! Me and the Missus worked hard to put this damned thing together, and there's no way I'm letting you little brats screw it up." The Joker said.

"That's right, puddin'! I've been bustin' my hump for this shindig, and I'd like for my guests to enjoy themselves! So, either you leave, or the bouncer will- hey, where'd Birdie Boy go?" Harley asked.

I look over to where Robin once stood.

_Gone… Now is not the best time for this, Robin…_

Harley Quinn picked up a mallet. "Mister Jay, I'm going bird hunting. Do you mind fixin' supper?"

"Sure! How does fish fillet sound?" Joker cackled.

"Mm-mm! Sounds good! A side of Robin sounds nice, too!" Harley giggled.

The Joker took out a switch blade.

"Ready, Fish Boy?"

I sigh. "We both know how this will end."

The Joker cackled loudly. "Oh yes… with your fish guts staining the streets!"

I took hold of my water bearers. I knew I had to act quickly- Robin can only hold Harley off for so long.

_Robin! Where are you? _I asked.

_Can't talk right now! Kinda busy here!_ He replied.

Harley has already found him.

This is not good.

_Robin, how long can you hold Harley off?_

_About ten minutes._

_Are you sure?_

_Well, Harley's easier than Joker… but she's still… oh, I dunno… INSANE!_

I sighed. _Okay. I will trap the Joker within that time._

_Take your time. _I could hear the sarcasm in his voice.

"Joker, I do not wish to play games." I say, "I have somewhere to be, so let us agree to end this quickly."

The Joker was gone.

No…

He's gone after Robin.

* * *

I could hear cackling and explosions that were not too far from where I stood. I only hope I did not get there too late.

I saw Robin. He was dodging Harley's mallet and Joker's switchblades. He had a cut just above his right eye. His eye was shut to prevent the blood from entering his it, but I was not sure if it was helping.

"'Bout time you showed up." Robin said, wincing as Joker's blade grazed his cheek.

"I am sorry. I found it difficult to find you." I said.

He smirked. "Well, I was trained by the Batman."

I smiled.

Robin was our team's "little brother". I cannot think about what would happen if he were not here.

Or, if we would even exist at all.

From what my king has told me, Batman was the first League member to take on a protégé.

The first of the next generation of heroes… at such a young age.

"Aqualad! Behind you!"

I dodged Harley's mallet in time.

"Dude, no time to be spacing out!" Robin yelled.

"Right…" I said. I took hold of my water bearers and made a mallet of my own. I swung at Harley with all my strength. It sent her flying and crashing into a wall.

Now, to take down the Joker.

Robin was dodging Joker's knife with difficulty. I could tell he was on his last legs.

I need to move in now or-

"Subsisto!"

The Joker stopped in his tracks.

I looked behind me and saw a girl with long black hair with blood red highlights. She wore a domino mask similar to Robin's, but it had red eyes instead of white. She wore a red and green suit. Her hands were glowing red.

Was she the one who stopped Joker?

"RIDICULUS te vocas? Sed dicendum, quod malum non audivi." She said.

Superboy and Kid Flash appeared moments later.

"Sanctus, whatever you do, don't send him to another dimension." Superboy said.

The one called Sanctus sighed. "You enjoy taking all the fun out of my work, don't you, Kryptonian?"

"You! You're-" Robin yelled, before being cut off by Sanctus.

"Sanctus. I must say, it is an honor. I enjoy seeing you in action, Robin."

"Huh?"

She giggled. "I'm from another world… but I have been made aware of this world's existence. You, Boy wonder, have inspired me, the Goddess of the Requiem, to fight crime in this world, and many others."

Robin seemed to be puzzled. I could not help but smile.

"Er… I'm not really sure what to say…" Robin said.

Sanctus smiled. "Well, what I want is to join your team."


	7. Time and Memories

**Chapter 7- Time and Memories**

**-Artemis' POV-**

Okay, what?

I come back to see what happened and what do I see?

Some chick demanding to join the team.

"I am afraid that is not my decision, Sanctus." Aqualad told her.

"Well, bring it up to Bats, won't you? After all, I'm sure having a Goddess on the team will be useful." The girl said.

A Goddess? Really?

Stuck up much?

"Er… I'm not sure if Batman is looking for a mystic from another world, Sanctus. Actually, he's never been fond of magic." Robin said.

Oh. So… she _is _a Goddess?

"Hmph! Well, I'll have you know my people have been grateful for my mystic abilities. I didn't come here to be rejected."

Robin sighed. "Fine, I'll bring it up to him later. Right now I need to make sure Joker gets locked up in Arkham, for good this time."

"Right. See ya later!" Kid Flash said.

* * *

Shortly after we left Robin, snow started to fall.

"Oh, wow!" M'gann cried when she saw the first few flakes.

"Believe me, you'll get tired of it quick." I said.

"How could anyone get tired of snow?" She asked.

"When you've seen plenty of snow related accidents."

"Oh."

"Can we forget about that? Christmas is only two weeks away!" Wally laughed.

"Seriously, Wally?" I asked.

"Yeah!"

"What do you guys do for Christmas?" M'gann asked.

"Well, it's supposed to be a time for giving. Helping people, peace on Earth, goodwill towards men, that kind of stuff." Wally said.

"Even scum take the holidays off." I said.

"Yeah, but Batman'll probably have us go out on some kind of mission. He has Robin do it every year." Wally scoffed.

"The Batman doesn't even take Christmas off?" M'gann asked.

"Yeah. Ever since the Joker broke outta Arkham a couple years back on Christmas, he's been a bit paranoid about it."

"Well, then, I could see why…"

"Who knows? Maybe Batman will take the day off for a change." Aqualad said.

"Doubt it." I said.

* * *

Last day of school before winter break.

Two weeks away from Gotham Academy.

My first holiday with the Young Justice.

Minus Robin, if Batman has him go on some kind of mission.

_C'mon… ten more seconds…_

Damn clock…

_Eight…_

_Seven…_

_Six…_

_Five…_

_Four…_

_Three…_

_Two…_

_NOW!_

All the students of Gotham Academy shot out at once. I could hear a bunch of 'Happy Holidays' and 'Merry Christmas's being thrown out to friends. I would've joined in… but I didn't feel like it.

I wasn't paying much attention to my surroundings…

That's probably what caused me to bump into Dick Grayson.

I didn't understand him.

He doesn't talk much… and he has a lot of money, but he doesn't show it off.

I was told he was a circus aerialist. That's why he kicks ass at gymnastics.

I didn't really believe it. I always thought it was a rumor. What I did know, though, was his family was murdered by some mob boss.

But you wouldn't know it if you just glanced at him.

"Sorry… I wasn't-" I said.

"Heh. It's okay. I do it all the time." Dick laughed, "Especially around this time of year."

"Really? Why?" I asked.

"Er… I don't really like talking about it."

"Oh. Okay."

Dick gave a small smile. "See ya after break, I guess." He said.

"Right. See ya."

* * *

_We are young!_

_But we have heart_

_Born in this world as it all falls apart_

_We are strong_

_We don't belong_

_Born in this world as it all falls apart_

"ARTEMIS! TURN THAT DOWN!"

"'Kay, mom!"

I turned my stereo down and went back to packing. I asked my mom if I could spend the next two weeks at Mount Justice, and she had no problem with it.

_I see the children in the rain _

_like the parade before the pain._

_I see the love; _

_I see the hate; _

_I see this world that we can make!_

I glanced over to my _Alice in Wonderland _poster.

_Jade…_

I shook my head. Thinking about my sister wouldn't help me get ready for the cave. I had to be ready for Batman to pick me up for Mount Justice in a half hour or I wasn't going.

_I see life I see the sky. _

_Give it all to see you fly..._

_Yes! we wave this flag of hatred, _

_but you're the ones who made it!_

Done. Ten minutes to spare.

_Watch the beauty of all our lies _

_passing right before my eyes._

_I hear the hate in all your words _

_all the wars to make us hurt_

I decided to just sit and listen to Hollywood Undead until Bats got here. They're good… not really my style, but Robin was right. They're a damn good band.

_We get so sick of so sick; _

_we never wanted all this_

_Medication for the kids _

_with no reason to live!_

And they get stuck in your head.

_So we_

_March to the drums_

_of the dammed as we come_

_Watch it burn in the sun - _

_we are numb!_

I could hear the Batplane approaching. I took the CD out of the stereo, put it back in my case, and shoved it into my bag.

Time to go.

* * *

The flight to Mount Justice was quiet.

The normally talkative Robin was just listening to his IPOD and staring at the sea.

I assumed it was because Batman was around.

I gotta admit, I'd probably do the same.

"So… um… How've you been?" I asked, getting tired of the quiet.

"Good, I guess." Robin said.

Great. A three worded response.

"Uh… I heard Linkin Park's playing a concert in Gotham next week." I said. Surely talking about one of his favourite bands would get him to talk a little more.

"Yeah. Already got tickets for the team." Robin said.

Well… that was a little better.

I looked up at Batman, then back at Robin.

Was he always this quiet around Batman?

Then I remember the mission from a few days ago.

Robin failed hacking a system.

Batman was pissed… and I'm pretty sure Robin was, too.

_Argh, this silence is KILLING me… gotta think of something…_

I notice one of the cases Robin had was a lot bigger than the others.

It was shaped like a guitar.

"You play guitar?" I asked.

"Yeah." Robin said with a smile.

"Are you self-taught? Or did someone teach you?"

"A… friend taught me."

"Cool. Maybe you could play for us sometime."

Robin shook his head. "I'm not that good."

I laugh. "You scared of performing in from of a few of your friends?"

"Pfft. No. I just…"

"Just what?"

"…Fine, I will." He muttered.

* * *

The second we get in the cave, M'gann comes out with a plate of burnt cookies.

"Sorry…" she said when she offered us a few.

Robin smiled. "Hey, they're not as badly burnt as last time."

"You think so?" M'gann asked.

"Yup."

I had to admit, they were a lot better than last time.

She set the kitchen on fire (accidentally, of course) last time she attempted to make cookies.

"Robin's gonna play something on his guitar at some point." I said.

"Oh! How exciting! What are you going to play?" M'gann asked.

"Dunno yet." Robin said.

"Okay. Well, I can't wait to hear what you'll play."

Robin smiled, then left for his room.

* * *

About an hour later, Batman called us in for another mission.

He decided that this mission would decide whether Sanctus joins us or not.

"There have been several murders Gotham City. I want you to investigate them." The Batman said.

"Huh? Murders are kinda common in Gotham, aren't they?" Wally asked.

"Not this many." Robin said, "There have been a total of 200 murders within a week. And all of them are- excuse me- were gangbangers. The deaths varied- some were shot, others stabbed, hung, decapitated, drowned… the list goes on."

M'gann covered her mouth. "Oh my…"

Robin looked down at the floor. "You have no idea."

What was he hiding?


	8. The Best Day

**Chapter 8- The Best Day**

**-Red Hood's POV-**

Perfect.

200 of Gotham's baddies are dead and gone.

Decapitated.

Hung.

Stabbed.

And, my favourite, gunned down.

And various other deaths.

I'll say it again: Absolutely. Fucking. Perfect.

I'll bet Bats sent his little team of kids to do some investigating.

Now, I know what you're thinking:

_Red, you can't kill kids. They're doing what they think is right._

But, you know my reaction, right?

Right.

I won't kill them. No.

Not yet, at least.

I'll give 'em a warning. Maybe shoot the Boy Wonder… not _kill_ him… but keep him out of action long enough for me to do my stuff.

Then again, Bats won't miss him. He won't go after me.

Just like he didn't go after the Joker.

When I was killed.

Beaten.

Broken.

Blown apart.

Literally. Death by bombing.

_No, Jason. Don't go there. Not now._

Time to move.

* * *

I look down at the Joker's hideout.

If those brats had half a brain, they'd come here.

I know for a fact Robin knows who I am. After all...

I was a Robin, too.

* * *

"_So, what happened to the original Robin?" I asked._

"_Nearly beaten to death by Two-Face. I fired him for disobeying orders." Batman said._

_I look at the costumes that I could choose from._

_The first was the original one- a red tunic with green scaly tights, a yellow cape and green pixie boots._

_The second was modified- a red shirt and leggings with green tights on the outside, a black and red cape, and black boots._

_The third one was similar to the second, except the green was black._

"_So… which one do you choose?" he asked._

_I smiled. "The original."_

* * *

Damn memories.

I sighed. I really didn't want to get on Batman's bad side… but I need to do this.

He didn't.

It was against his code.

And, for a short time, mine, too.

But not anymore.

I'm not gonna let him live to take another life.

_Crash!_

Damn it. The brats got here before I could shoot.

…

…

…

Meh. I'll just have to chase them away.

* * *

_I couldn't believe it._

_I kicked the Riddler's ass._

_On my own._

_The Bat took on the lackeys._

_I kicked Nigma's purple and green ass._

_I was psyched._

"_You did well, Jason." Batman said, "But you still have much to learn."_

"_Yeah, yeah, I know. But, damn it, it was fun! This is the greatest day of my life!"_

* * *

I was wrong.

This is the best day of my life.

I crashed through the glass.

Show time.


	9. Secrets

**Chapter 9- Secrets**

**-Robin's POV-**

My entire life's a secret.

My friends in Gotham don't know that I jump from rooftop to rooftop, or that I go against the criminally insane pretty much every night.

My friends here in Young Justice have no idea that I'm a former circus aerialist who is now one of the richest kids in Gotham.

Don't get me wrong, I really LOVE my life. Mostly the kicking ass part of it, but still.

I wish I could tell them everything. Who I am, my origins, et cetera.

Yeah… when hell freezes over… or when Batman trusts them… whichever comes first.

Anyway, we're here at the Joker's hideout.

This is the first place I'd search… after all; Jason did have a grudge on Joker.

Jason Todd.

Beaten with a crowbar by the motherfucking Joker.

Then, as if it couldn't get any worse, he was blown up.

That's when I took back my mantle as Robin. Of course, Bats didn't want me to do it…

* * *

"_What if you end up like Jason?"_

_I glared at him. "So what if I do? Isn't the whole point of being a hero risking your neck to protect the innocent?"_

"_Well, yes-"_

_I cut Batman off. "That's what Jason did every night before being blown apart by Joker. Actually, he was doing before he died. He tried to get himself and his mom out of the building…" I wasn't sure if I should finish the sentence._

_Batman sighed. "I've lost my parents and now I lose one of the boys I thought of as a son. Dick, when you were almost killed by Two Face, I did what I had to do. I'm not allowing you to return as Robin."_

"_Then I'll take Black Lightning's offer and join the Outsiders. Or join the Teen Titans. Kara said they needed a new leader. Or maybe I'll go solo." I said, "You know you can't stop me. Go ahead; try tying me up or locking the windows and the door to my bed room. Trap me in a cell in Arkham in a straightjacket and chains. You know I'll be able to get out of them."_

_Batman was silent. I knew I had him._

"_Fine. But this time, you __**will**__ follow orders."_

"_YES!"_

* * *

I sighed.

_Jason… you didn't have to choose this path…_

"Hey! Earth to Robin!"

I looked over at Kid Flash.

"Huh?"

"Dude, now is not the time to get all spacey! We have a serial killer on the loose!"

"Yeah… sorry…" I said.

"So, what's the plan?" Artemis asked.

"I say we crash through and kick some butt!" Sanctus said.

"Sanctus, that is not wise." Aqualad said.

"No, Sanctus is right." I said, "If this serial killer's after these guys, we need to get them out right away… even if they are scum."

"Okay. We move out now."

* * *

_Crash!_

"What the?"

_Blam!_

Not good…

Notgoodnotgoodnotgood!

The gangbangers were dead…

We were too late.

"Well, if it isn't the original Bird Brain… how long has it been?"

I recognized that voice all too well.

Red Hood.

Jason Todd.

An anti-hero who wants criminals to pay with their lives.

"I dunno… two years?" I said.

Red Hood laughed. "Good memory, kid."

He took a step forward, putting his gun back in its holster.

"You were, what, eleven last time I saw ya? You're a little taller than I remember… and I see you've come back as the Bat's protégé… at least I'll be entertained."

"What are you talking about?" Kid Flash asked, "Rob, do you actually know this guy?"

I gulped. "Yeah. He's…"

"He's what?" Conner growled.

"He's the second Robin."

My teammates were silent.

"Second Robin? I thought he was murdered by the Joker!" Kid Flash yelled.

"Yeah, he was. He was brought back to life by Rā's al Ghūl." I said.

Miss Martian gasped. "Oh my…"

"Red Hood, right? You've been the one killing criminals… I thought that was against your code." I said, turning my attention back to Red Hood.

"Yeah. But you and I both know they deserve it. Let's face it; Batman's brand of fear is useless now. And these creeps _never_ learn." He said.

"Even scum should have a fair trial."

Red Hood laughed. "I bet you didn't feel that way when Two Face almost at your brains out with a baseball bat!"

I glared at him. "Even then, I still knew that killing a criminal was wrong."

"Oh really? You're saying that you didn't want to do the same thing to Two Face? Ha!"

_Don't let him get to you, Grayson…_

"Shut up!" I yelled.

Red Hood laughed. He stopped after a minute. "I'll be honest; I don't want to kill you guys. So, I'll just take my leave."

"No way!" I growled, throwing a batarang at him.

Of course, he dodged it.

"Tsk… I really didn't want to do this…"

Red Hood pulled out one of his guns and summoned a few goons to distract my teammates. He aimed it at me, then fired.

I dodged it easily.

Too easily.

"That all you got, Hood?" I asked, laughing.

"No. Far from it." He said.

He shot off a couple more rounds. I dodged all but one, which hit my arm.

I held back a scream. I had to focus on stopping Jason.

"It's gonna take more than that to stop me." I growled.

"Alright… but you're the one who insisted on it…" He sighed.

Jason pulled out a dagger while I grabbed my Eskrima sticks. He ran towards me.

With each lunge, I dodged. Each swipe I blocked with and Eskrima stick. Once in a while, he'd graze an arm or my face.

I jumped back a couple feet. I needed to think this through.

_Okay, Grayson… take a second to assess the situation you're in…_

Easier said than done.

I was dizzy from the amount of blood I lost, having a hard time catching my breath, my arm was killing me, and my teammates were having a much harder time with the goons than they thought they would.

_Okay… the situation is not good…_

Jason called off his goons.

"I really don't want to kill any of you… but, I won't hesitate to do so if you get in my way again."

With that, he left.

I punched the ground. "Damn you…" I growled.

* * *

"Unacceptable!" Batman yelled at us. "Not only did your teammate get shot, you let the criminal escape. This will not go unpunished!"

"It wasn't their fault that Ja- Red Hood escaped. They were fighting their own enemies." I said, "I let Red Hood shoot me. I let him escape. It's my fault."

Batman glared at me, then he went back to ranting.

"Even so, the mission was a failure. As punishment, you will double your training for the next week. Robin, you will do so for two weeks."

We groaned. We had planned to relax over the two weeks we had from school, but it looks like our plans were ruined… again.

"Nice going, Boy Blunder." Wally yelled at me after Batman left.

"Hey, at least your punishment's not as bad as mine." I growled.

"Still, we're being punished when you're the idiot who screwed things up!"

"Wally, Robin, please stop." M'gann said, "Arguing won't help at all."

"M'gann is right." Kaldur said.

I turned to leave.

"Where are you going?" Sanctus asked.

"To be alone." I sighed.

* * *

I was walking (well, more like jumping from rooftops) through Star city when I heard a scream.

I started running in the direction of the scream when I saw Roy pass me.

Well, it couldn't hurt to check it out…

I found a good spot on the roof and started watching.

Roy was kicking butt… made me wish I brought popcorn.

When he was finished, he pulled a me.

"What are you doing here?" Roy said. I almost fell off the roof.

"Dude, you trying to give me a heart attack?" I growled.

"You didn't answer my question."

"I needed to get away from the team and Batman."

"So you came here?"

"If I go to Gotham, Bats will likely find and ground me. If I go to Central City or Metropolis, Superman or Flash will just bring me back home or the cave. Happy Harbor isn't far enough, so I went with Star City."

"Oh. I see." Roy scratched the back of his head. "You know, you'll catch a cold if you stay out here in your civvies."

"To be honest, Roy, I couldn't care less." I mumbled.

"Yeesh, no need to act like that." He said.

"Sorry… I'm just pissed."

"I can tell. You want to talk about it?"

"Sure, I guess."

* * *

"So. Tell me what happened." Roy said.

We were in Roy's apartment in Star City. He was in his civvies now, sitting across from me.

Man, he sounded like Black Canary when we were talking about the training incident a few weeks back.

I sighed, then told him what happened.

* * *

"Well… that explains a lot…" Roy said.

"Yeah…" I sighed.

"So… you said this Red Hood guy was the second Robin… and he's back from the dead… how does that work?"

"The Lazarus Pit can bring someone back to life… but there's a side effect." I said.

"Side effect?" Roy asked.

"A short period after they are revived, a person has increased strength for a short time, as well as temporary insanity." I said, "In some cases, though, that insanity can become permanent."

"So, what you're saying is the second Robin is now an insane, revenge-crazed, homicidal gunslinger."

"Yup."

Roy was silent. "Wow… that's gotta be painful for Batman."

"Yeah… you see… I didn't tell him that Red Hood was Ja- I mean the second Robin." I said quietly.

"You didn't tell him? Why?"

I sighed. "You don't know Batman like I do. It's for the best."

Roy was quiet for a second. "Heh. You've got a point."

_Like memories in cold decay_

_Transmissions echoing away_

_Far from the world of you and I_

_Where oceans bleed into the sky_

"Oh, sorry. Gimmie a sec." I said. Roy nodded.

"Hello?" I asked.

"_Dude! Where the heck are you?"_ Wally yelled.

"Um… Star City. Why?"

"_Because, Batman wants to see you and if we don't do what he says… wait, you're in Star City?"_

"Yes, I am. What does Bats want?"

"_Dude, did ya see Roy?"_

"Um… yes. Will you tell me what Batman wants already?"

"_Tell him I said hi, okay?"_

"Get on with it, Wally." I was getting a little miffed now.

"_Oh, yeah, sorry… I'm not sure why he wants to see you, he just does."_

"Okay. I'm on my way."

"_Wait, Rob. About earlier… sorry, dude."_

"S'okay. I'll be there in ten minutes."

"'_Kay! See ya!"_ Wally said before hanging up the phone.

"I gotta go, Roy. Batman wants to see me." I said.

"Right. See you later, I guess." Roy said.

"Oh, Wally says hi." I added before leaving.

* * *

"You wanted to see me, Bruce?" I asked the second I stepped into the room.

"What did I tell you about using my civilian name in Mount Justice, Dick?" He sighed.

"No to…" I mumbled, "So, what do you want?"

"You're hiding something. And don't even try saying you're not, because we both know it won't work."

"I have a right to keep my secrets, just like you do."

"Not when they're bothering you."

I sighed. "If I were to tell you… you'd probably lose your temper."

"Try me." Bruce said.

I sighed. "You're not going to like it…"

"Just tell me."

I sucked in a deep breath.

"Jason Todd is the Red Hood."


	10. Arsenal

**A/N: I'll be honest- I didn't like the fact that they used Red Arrow rather than Arsenal. 'Course, maybe that has something to do with Roy being a clone and all... so maybe the real Roy is Arsenal..?**

* * *

**Chapter 10- Arsenal**

**-Red Arrow's POV-**

"So. Tell me what happened." I said.

Robin stared at the floor for a second.

_Maybe he isn't ready to talk about it. Maybe he needs some time, Harper…_

Robin sighed. "Recently, a new… anti-hero has been spotted. He's been killing gangbangers. The causes of death vary from decapitation to being shot."

"Right. Go on." I said.

"Well… I happen to, um… know who's been killing people."

I looked at him. "Who?"

He looked up at me. "The second Robin."

"I remember him. But I thought he was murdered by the Joker."

He gulped. "H-he was… but he's back."

I looked at him. It wasn't too strange that an enemy (or friend) of the Batman returned from the dead… I never understood that.

Question is, why is Robin so distraught about it?

"Why're you so distraught about it?" I asked.

"I guess it's the fact that I'm going against someone I thought of as a brother. I mean, I was pulling my punches when we were assigned to take him down. He didn't hold back, though." He said, showing me his arm.

"Well… that explains a lot…" Roy said.

"Yeah…" he sighed.

"So… you said this Red Hood guy was the second Robin… and he's back from the dead… how does that work?"

"The Lazarus Pit can bring someone back to life… but there's a side effect." he said.

"Side effect?" I asked.

"A short period after they are revived, a person has increased strength for a short time, as well as temporary insanity." Robin said, "In some cases, though, that insanity can become permanent."

"So, what you're saying is the second Robin is now an insane, revenge-crazed, homicidal gunslinger."

"Yup."

I was silent. "Wow… that's gotta be painful for Batman."

"Yeah… you see… I didn't tell him that Red Hood was Ja- I mean the second Robin." I said quietly.

"You didn't tell him? Why?"

I sighed. "You don't know Batman like I do. It's for the best."

I was quiet for a second. "Heh. You've got a point."

_Like memories in cold decay_

_Transmissions echoing away_

_Far from the world of you and I_

_Where oceans bleed into the sky_

"Oh, sorry. Gimmie a sec." Robin said, taking his phone out. I nodded.

"Hello? Um… Star City. Why? Yes, I am… What does Bats want? Um… yes… Will you tell me what Batman wants already? Get on with it, Wally… Okay. I'm on my way… S'okay. I'll be there in ten minutes." He hung up and put his phone back in his pocket.

"I gotta go, Roy. Batman wants to see me." He said.

"Right. See you later, I guess." I said.

"Oh, Wally says hi." With that, he left.

* * *

After Robin left, I started thinking about what happened the past year.

I received news that I'd be a member of the Justice League… which was a lie.

I left behind my friends.

I became Red Arrow.

I got my ass kicked a few times.

And, I still go to Mount Justice now and again…

Why?

_Maybe you just miss them, Roy… and you're too much of a jackass to admit it…_

Yeah… maybe that's it.

I sighed. Maybe they didn't miss me at all. I mean, they have Artemis, now…

_What are you saying? Of course they miss you… _

I looked out the window.

_What if I stayed?_

* * *

The next night, when I went out on patrol, strange things were happening.

There were three crimes going on that night.

All three of them, I arrived seconds after they were arrested.

What the hell was going on?

I picked up another crime on a police radio. Armed robbery.

Two blocks away.

Maybe I'd see this new vigilante there.

* * *

I had rushed there and decided to hide on the rooftop. If this guy hadn't arrived in two minutes, I'd take care of it.

I see a blur of red and green pass a few bystanders.

My eyes widened.

It was that girl I saw a couple nights ago.

She was flying, using magic to ensnare the robbers. She was fast enough to race the Flash, and have a good chance of winning.

Damn.

She was done in only a few minutes. Once she turned the bad guys over to the police, she disappeared.

Seriously. As in vanished in a puff of smoke.

"Hello!"

I jumped, turned around, and reached for an arrow.

It was her.

"Oh! So sorry, I did not mean to frighten you!" she said, holding her hands up.

I put the arrow back in my quiver then sighed. "First, I was _not_ frightened, and second, this is _my_ town. Who are you and why are you here?"

She giggled. "You mortals are amusing! You may call me Sanctus. I am here to join the Young Justice."

"What? You're here to join Young Justice? You do know that the Young Justice League is reserved for the apprentices of JLI members only, right?" I told her.

"I am well aware of that. However, I feel certain that I can be an asset to the Young Justice. You see, I am a Goddess from another world. I am thousands of years old. If I wanted to, I could tear this, and every other world, apart. I do not simply because I am inspired by one of the Young Justice members."

I stare at her. "Who?"

"Why, Robin, of course! My suit is even designed after one of his earlier outfits."

"So, in other words, you're a fangirl."

"I suppose so, yes."

It took everything I had not to laugh my ass off.

"Right… well, no offense, but I doubt you'll make the cut without a League member representing you. Good luck, though." I said.

Sanctus smiled. "Thank you… Red Arrow, is it?"

"Yeah… and no problem." I said.

"Oh… you might consider changing your name… Red Arrow is not really original." She said.

"Hey! I happen to like the name! Better than Speedy."

"Still… can you handle different weapons, such as guns? Maybe a couple daggers?"

"Well, yeah. But I still prefer my arrows."

"Then, might I suggest the name Arsenal? I think it is better than Red Arrow." Sanctus said.

I thought about it for a second. I had already changed my name a few months back…

"We'll see." I said.


	11. Squire

**A/N: If you don't know who Knight or Squire is, Google them.**

* * *

**Chapter 11- Squire**

**-Kid Flash's POV-**

Okay, so maybe I was a bit of a douche.

Okay, way more than a douche.

Super douche.

Kid Douche. At least, that's what Artemis called me.

"Really, Kid Douche?" She screamed at me, hitting me with her bow, "Did you have to be such an ass?"

"Artemis, hitting him will not help." Kaldur said.

"He didn't have to be such a douche bag! I mean, what if the Flash was our target? I'm damn sure Wally would pull his punches!"

"Well… yeah… but Robin would insist on not letting our emotions get in the way!" I yelled.

"Are you so sure about that, Wally?" Kaldur asked, "If Batman were the enemy, I'm sure he would not want to fight him."

"I taught him better than that." Said a dark, grim voice.

We jumped. Batman was there.

"Where is he?" Batman asked.

"Not sure. Kid Douche pissed him off, and he left." Artemis said.

Batman glared at me. "Then you get him back here. I need to talk to him."

"Uh… y-yes sir!" I said.

Batman turned and left.

* * *

I punched Robin's number into my cell and waited for him to answer.

_C'mon, Rob… you can't be that pissed…_

_"Hello?"_ Robin said.

"Dude! Where the heck are you?" I yelled.

_"Um… Star City. Why?"_

"Because, Batman wants to see you and if we don't do what he says… wait, you're in Star City?"

_"Yes, I am. What does Bats want?"_

"Dude, did ya see Roy?"

_"Um… yes. Will you tell me what Batman wants already?"_

"Tell him I said hi, okay?"

_"Get on with it, Wally." _He was getting irritated.

"Oh, yeah, sorry… I'm not sure why he wants to see you, he just does."

_"Okay. I'm on my way."_

"Wait, Rob. About earlier… sorry, dude."

_"S'okay. I'll be there in ten minutes."_

"'Kay! See ya!" I said before hanging up the phone.

* * *

That went much better than I thought…

I thought he would start ranting about how big of a jerk I was (and I knew I was a really big jerk).

Or maybe no answer. That's a little worse.

Or… plot ways to kill me and make it look like an accident…

Either way, I'll need to be careful about Robin… he might get even with me… and that's never a good thing.

* * *

The next morning, I dragged myself out of bed, changed, and left for the training room.

Black Canary found a way to double our training and still have time for fun.

Unfortunately, that meant getting up earlier.

When I got to the training room, I saw everyone except Robin was still pretty tired.

"Robin, how can you be awake at six in the morning?" Artemis asked.

"I'm used to it." Robin said.

"Still… when do you go to sleep?"

Robin paused. "Well, I usually get home and sleep for about an hour… go to school… sleep for another three hours after school… three times a month, I get a night off to sleep, but I choose chat with Squire… so… um… pretty much when I have the time."

Artemis just stared. "I just… my god, it's too early to even understand what you just said…"

Robin cackled.

"And who the heck is Squire?" I asked.

"She's the Knight's sidekick over in England. We only work together, like, once every six months."

"Oh."

"Okay, are you guys ready?" Black Canary asked.

"Let's just get this over with…" Artemis yawned.

* * *

By the time training was finished, we were tired. Even Robin wanted a break.

But, that didn't last long when Batman called us into the briefing room.

"Ugh… what is it this time?" Conner growled.

"We don't want to keep him waiting…" Robin sighed, "Let's just get this over with."

When we walked into the briefing room, Batman wasn't the only one there.

There was a man clad in silver armor and had a helmet similar to Batman's cowl. A girl was there, too. She was dressed in a red, green, yellow, and black coloured uniform and hat, and a black domino mask similar to Robin's.

"Squire? What are you doing here?" Robin asked with a huge grin on his face.

"Knight's gunna fill us in on that inna minute." Squire said, "In the meantime, why don't ya introduce me to your teammates?"

"Oh! Right! That's Miss Martian, Kid Flash, Superboy, Aqualad, Sanctus, and Artemis."

Squire smiled. "Pleased to meetcha. I'm Squire."

Sanctus flew over to Squire. "Hello! It is really nice to meet another teen superhero who has been doing this almost as long as Robin!" She said.

"How… how on Earth didja know that?" Squire asked.

Sanctus giggled. "Well, I am from the fifth dimension, which holds many different magical beings. One of our pastimes is to see what the heroes and villains of Earths 1-51 do in their worlds."

"Well, that explains a lot." Robin said.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked.

"She's like Mxyztplk, but not as annoying."

"Oh. Who's Mxyztplk?"

"… I don't even know where to begin…"

"I believe that I might be able to help." Sanctus said.

* * *

After Sanctus explained who the hell Mxyztplk was, Knight, as Squire promised, filled us in on our mission.

"Poison Ivy an' Harley Quinn were sighted in England." Knight said, "Since you lot 'ave fought them more than we 'ave, we'll need a little assistance stopping them."

"Wow. I knew Harley worked fast, but she's already out of Arkham? Man, what the hell is happening?" Robin asked.

"I dunno." Squire said, "But it's a good 'nough reason to have you an' your team helpin' us out."

"Knight and I will be going with you as well." Batman said.

"Sweet! League-team team up!" I said.

"Actually, Kid Flash, we are only teamed up with the Batman, Knight, and Squire." Sanctus said.

Killjoy.

"Close enough!" I said.

"Move out."


	12. Welcome to the Team

**Chapter 12- Welcome to the Team**

**-Miss Martian's POV-**

It was really interesting to meet another teen superhero that has been working as long as Robin has.

I just couldn't help myself.

"So, what's it like in England?"

"Well, I-"

"How long have you known Robin?"

"I believe-"

"Do you have a crush on him?"

"I- wait a second, what?"

"Who's the most challenging villain you've ever faced?"

"Uh, I-"

"Is Knight anything like Batman?"

"Um-"

"Who made your outfit? Or did you make it yourself?"

"Miss Martian!" Robin said.

"Huh?"

"Um, I think you're going a little too fast."

"Oh… I'm so sorry, I just…"

"It's fine! I just… never met someone with so many questions." Squire said, "Feel free to ask anythin'… just slow down, okay?"

I went back to asking my questions… slowly, this time.

Unfortunately, I didn't get a chance to ask Squire if she had a crush on Robin.

"If you all are finished with your question and answer session…" Batman said, "We have arrived in London."

"Harley an' Ivy 'ave been sighted Downtown. The mission's simple, really. Take 'em down, then ship 'em off to Arkham." Knight said.

"We will split up into two groups." said Batman, "Robin, Squire, Miss Martian, Sanctus, and Superboy, you will go after Harley. Aqualad, Artemis, Kid Flash, Knight, and I will go after Ivy."

"Watch each other's backs." Knight added, "I may not 'ave much experience with 'em, but I do know Harley an' Ivy shouldn't be taken lightly."

"You have your assignments. Go."

* * *

After we left, I telepathically linked us.

_Okay, the first thing we gotta do is figure out a leader. _I thought.

_Why not the Boy Wonder? He has the experience. _Squire thought.

_M-me? _Robin thought.

_Do you see another Boy Wonder walkin' 'round London?_

_Maybe you should lead, Squire. I mean, you know your way around London._

_You've fought both Harley an' Ivy. You know what we're up against. You lead._

_And it would be a great chance to see you in action! _Sanctus thought.

I heard Robin sigh. _…Fine…_

He sounded… reluctant.

Reluctance was something we never heard out of Robin.

I wonder why…

* * *

We arrived at the warehouse that Harley was last sighted in.

_Whatever you guys do, do not make any noise! If we're not careful, Harley -if she's still in here- will be able to find us out. _Robin instructed.

_Easier said than done, Boy Wonder. _Squire thought, _This warehouse holds who knows how many different things that make noise._

_**Clang!**_

"Well, well! Look who we have here!"

We all looked up. A girl dressed in a red and black biker outfit. She had blonde hair that was pulled up in pigtails. One pigtail was red at the end, and the other was black. She had a tattoo on her right arm, and wore a lot of makeup.

"It's bird boy and his little friends!" she cackled.

"Gotta say, Harley, I didn't expect you to break outta Arkham so quickly!" Robin said.

"Well, you know me! I always try to get the hell outta Arkham so I can play with you and the big bad Bat!" Harley cackled.

"This gal's nuts." Squire muttered.

"Totally." Sanctus said.

"Funny thing, though… she used to be a psychiatrist." Robin said, "Damn good one, too."

"Aww, thank you, Boy Blunder! Just for that, I'll get Ivy to do her stuff instead of killing you. Can't say the same for your friends, though."

"Ugh… death sounds better than that."

"Too bad! I've always wanted a son, or a kid brother, and you know what? I'm damn well gonna get one!"

Harley jumped down from the rafters with the agility that rivaled Robin's.

"C'mon out sweeties! Lunch is here!"

Out of nowhere, two hyenas charged at us.

"Leave Birdie Boy alive! He's mine!"

Harley took out a knife and charged at Robin.

Superboy swung one of his fists at a hyena. The hyena was sent flying, but it bounced back quickly.

"What the hell?" He yelled.

Squire took out a slingshot. "These hyenas… 'ave they ever come in contact with venom or somethin'?"

"I don't know!" I said, "Robin would probably know, though."

_Robin! Have the hyenas ever been exposed to venom?_

_The last time I fought them, they weren't that strong… they must have been exposed recently, but I can't be certain._ He thought.

"You heard him, right, Squire?" I asked.

"Yeah. Didn't help much." Squire replied, before striking a hyena with a stone using her slingshot.

"We need to incapacitate them somehow!" Superboy said.

"Leave that to me! Go help Robin out!" Sanctus said.

* * *

It turns out Robin didn't need much help.

By the time we got up there, he already had Harley restrained.

Of course, that didn't mean it was, as humans say a "piece of cake".

He was bleeding from his right shoulder and had a deep cut in his cheek, but other than that, he was fine.

When we came back, the hyenas were in a steel cage.

"Simple spell took care of 'em." Sanctus said.

Robin was contacting Batman, telling him that Harley was in our custody.

"He said to bring her back to the bioship. They have Ivy in their custody." Robin said, "We'll be shipping the hyenas to a sanctuary in Africa."

"No! Not my babies! Lock 'em up in Arkham with me! Just please don't separate me and my babies!" Harley screamed.

"Sorry, Quinn. Not my call." Robin said. I could tell he meant it.

Harley looked like she could cry.

"Although…" Robin sighed, "I think I can make a couple arrangements… if you'll stay out of trouble if or when you're declared legally sane."

"I promise! Cross my heart, hope to die, stick a needle in my eye!"

"You do know that this meant no Joker, right?"

"Yep!"

"Ivy?"

"Uh-huh!"

"Catwoman?"

"Yeparoonie!"

"Clayface, Penguin, Scarecrow, Deadshot, et cetera?"

"…yes…"

Robin smirked. "Okay… and I know you're telling that truth, how?"

"Jeez, I already told ya, cross my heart, hope to die, stick a needle in my eye!" Harley groaned.

"So, what you're saying is that if you do anything like that, I get to stick a needle in your eye?"

"That ain't what I… aww, screw this, I'd rather be locked up in Arkham than deal with this kid…"

* * *

"I didn't expect this mission to be so short." Squire said.

"Yeah." Robin said. He turned his attention to the people who were delivering Harley and Ivy to Arkham. "You sure you don't need help?"

"We're fine, Boy Wonder. Harley an' Ivy won't be much trouble." One of them said.

"Alright." Robin said.

"It's time to go. Say your goodbyes now." Batman said.

"See ya, Squire." Robin said.

"Try not to get yourself killed, Boy Wonder." Squire said.

"I make no promises." Robin laughed.

"Let's go, Squire!" Knight said. "We still 'ave things to do, mate."

"Right. Hope we can work together again soon, guys." Squire said.

* * *

The next day, we were called into the briefing room.

"Your performance yesterday was far better than I thought it would be. No casualties, nothing more than a couple cuts and bruises, and minimal property damage." Batman said, "Your performance has even led me to cancel the rest of your punishment from the last mission."

Everyone cheered.

"What about Sanctus?" Robin said, "Where does she stand?"

"As of now, Captain Marvel has decided to represent her. Sanctus' performance in this mission has proven that she has what it takes to be a member of this team."

"So… you are saying that…" Sanctus couldn't finish the sentence.

"Yes. Welcome to the team, Sanctus."

Sanctus squealed. She flew up into the air. "Yes! Yesyesyesyesyes YES!"

Everyone was laughing. Even Batman looked (slightly) amused.

* * *

Captain Marvel came to Mount Justice later on.

"Gratias tibi eius ad repraesentandum mei, Capitaneum Mirare!" She all but squealed.

"Uh… you're welcome… I think…" Captain Marvel said.

"She speaks Latin when she gets too excited." Robin said.

"Cookies are ready!" I said.

Wally was, as always, the first to get there. He reached out to get a cookie, but I smacked his hand away.

"OWW! What was that for?" he whined.

"You'll eat them all! Let everyone else get a cookie, then you can have one." I said.

"Fine…"

After everyone got a cookie, Wally scarfed down the rest.

"Congratulations, Sanctus!" I said.

"Thank you, M'gann." She said.

We all partied until the League members had to leave.

* * *

**A/N: I'm sorry... I couldn't resist trolling Harley XD**


	13. Meeting of the Light 1

**Chapter 13- Meeting of the Light (1)**

**-Normal POV-**

Several sillouettes of light were shown on several different screens.

The seven members of the Light were all in front of him. He was confused.

Why did they want him?

"_You are one of the few people who can get under Batman's skin. If Batman is distracted, the entire Justice League will fall._"

"_We must not forget our primary objective. You are to capture Sanctus and bring her to us._"

A picture of Sanctus was displayed on another screen.

"Hold on. I don't do a thing you ask until I see the money."

"_Of course._"

Another screen popped up.

"_As you can see, one hundred billion American dollars are being transferred to your Swiss account. An additional one hundred billion will be added once the job is done._"

"If I fail?"

"_Keep the money. It's obvious that your chances of victory are slim. Anyway, you're the one who offered to take on the Young Justice for only two hundred billion."_

"What can I say? If it means breaking the Bat, I'd do it for free… but it never hurts to have a little cash for hard times."

One of the figures chuckled. "_Quite true. Will you need any assistance? I can have an army of assassins there in an hour."_

"I work alone."

"_Fine. The offer still stands. Just do your job._"

"Will do. Anything else I need to know?"

"_All files have been transferred to your laptop. Good luck._"

"You guys know I don't need it."

"_Even so, Jason Todd… do not underestimate our opponent._"

* * *

"_Are you sure he can be trusted? How do we know he won't kill them?_"

"_I made it perfectly clear that if Jason killed anyone, I would kill him myself._"

"_Even so, Jason was trained by Batman. He was the second Robin!_"

"_Which is why I chose him._"

"…_I can only hope you're right, Ra's."_

"_If my daughter hadn't resurrected Jason, we wouldn't be having this discussion. He is our only chance to capture Sanctus."_

"_Are you positive?"_

"_Yes."_


	14. Friends

**Chapter 14- Friends**

**-Superboy's POV-**

We were given the day off for today and tomorrow. Something about it being Christmas…

I was told by the G-gnomes that Christmas was a holiday celebration the birth of some baby named Jesus.

I tried asking Robin why this Jesus guy was so important.

"Well, Jesus is the son of God. That's what Christians believe, anyway." He said.

"So, he's like a new God or something?" I asked.

"I guess you could say that, yeah." He gave a small laugh, "I'm not really a religious person, so I kinda have trouble explaining this… maybe I could get Huntress to explain it."

"Huntress?"

"You don't know her. She's a hero in Gotham… I hear she took on a protégé, but I don't know who."

**Recognized: Sanctus, B-0-8**

Sanctus walked in with several shopping bags.

"I see you finally got around to buying clothes for yourself." Artemis said, "When you're done with the ones you're wearing now, wash them before you give them back, okay?"

"Thank you for letting me borrow a couple clothes, Artemis." Sanctus said, setting down the bags.

"No problem. You can't go out in your hero outfit, anyway."

"I never understood that…" Sanctus said.

I never did, either. M'gann told me it had something to do with people recognizing me as Superboy, but I really didn't care.

"Shopping saccos, ad mea locus!" Sanctus said. The bags disappeared.

"Ad mea locus!" Sanctus disappeared.

Sanctus was back about ten minutes later, wearing a different outfit.

She wore a red jacket that cut off at the elbow with the sleeves rolled up just above the elbow. Underneath the jacket, she wore a cropped green t-shirt. She had green cargo pants that faded into a darker green with a green belt. She had red and green ankle boots and two gloves, one red and one green.

For the first time, I also saw her eyes. They were dark blue.

"What do you think?" She asked.

"I like it! Although, you'd think someone would wear a cropped shirt in the summer, not the winter…" Artemis said.

"The cold does not bother me." Sanctus said, "You would not believe how difficult it was to find an outfit like this in the same colour scheme as your original costume, Robin."

"Huh? I don't know if I should be happy… or freaked out…" Robin said, scratching the back of his head.

Sanctus giggled.

"So, have you decided on a name?" M'gann asked, "Y'know, when you're in civilian clothing?"

"Actually, I have." Sanctus said, "As a civilian, my name is Stellata Argenti. You can call me Stella for short."

"Alright. Now we just have to worry about getting you enrolled into school." M'gann said.

"Ugh, please don't even mention school." Wally groaned.

"Yeah!" Robin said.

I wasn't totally sure why they were complaining about school.

What was so wrong with it?

I admit, I'm not a fan of homework, and I don't like a few of my teachers, but is that really a reason to hate school?

"If we're finished talking about school…" Wally said, "Let's get on with Christmas! We have the next two days off! Aren't we gonna decorate the cave or something?"

"Wally's right!" Robin said, "Some of us haven't celebrated or don't celebrate Christmas that often."

"Uncle J'onn told me that humans usually got each other gifts, and cook, and then there's the mistletoe…"

"Mistletoe?" I asked.

"Well, if you're caught under the mistletoe with another person…" Robin said, "You have to kiss them."

"What's the point in that?"

Robin shrugged. "Dunno. I just know that you have to kiss them… even if you hate each other."

All eyes went to Artemis and Wally.

Artemis coughed, and Wally choked on a cookie.

"W-what?"

"What makes you think we'll be under the mistletoe together?"

"My God, your reactions!" Robin laughed, "Priceless!"

"Shut up, Rob!" Wally said.

Robin cackled again.

"Robin, Wally, that is enough." Kaldur said.

"Fine. I gotta go, I should be back soon." Robin said.

"I thought you had the day off." M'gann said.

"I do. But I wanna get Roy to come, and a simple phone call won't cut it." He said, "Oh, Zatanna should be coming at some point, too."

* * *

As promised, Robin got Roy to come.

Once again, he had to get Roy and Artemis to agree they wouldn't start a fight.

So far, they kept that promise.

"So… are we gonna watch a movie or something?" Zatanna asked.

"I have a couple in my room, but they aren't exactly Christmas movies." Robin said.

"That's fine, any- wait, the Boy Wonder has a room in Mount Justice?"

"Yeah. I don't use it unless Batman has League business or I'm just too tired to care about going home."

"Isn't there a Zeta beam in the Batcave?" Wally asked.

"Last time I used it late at night, I was welcomed with various traps." Robin laughed.

"Dude, wouldn't you know where the traps are?"

"Yes, but not when you've gone a week on three hours of sleep."

"Oh."

"I'll go get those movies now…" Robin said.

* * *

Robin came back a few minutes later with various movies.

"Okay, we have Green Lantern, Mortal Kombat, Monster House, Scream, Nightmare on Elm Street, and Superhero Movie." He said.

"Really? Nightmare on Elm Street and Scream? Robin, it's Christmas, not Halloween." Zatanna said.

"Hey, they're good movies! Anyway, don't you wanna see Wally pee his pants in terror?"

"Hey! Those movies are so not scary!" Wally yelled.

"Wanna bet?"

"Oh yeah!"

"Alright then. Which one?"

"Scream."

* * *

As Robin predicted, Wally was scared out of his pants after Scream ended.

"I-is it o-ov-over?" Wally asked.

"Yeah, Wally. You can stop cowering now." Robin laughed.

"Robin, you were right." Artemis laughed, nearly choking on her soda, "That was fun."

"I know, right?"

"You all are jerks." Wally grumbled, "It's Christmas Eve! How could you do this to me?"

Artemis and Robin looked at each other, then said, "Because it's fun."

Wally grumbled something that even I couldn't hear.

"So, do you guys want to watch another movie?" M'gann asked.

"I guess." Wally said, "Just please don't put in Nightmare on Elm Street."

"Party pooper." Robin said, "Okay, We still have Green Lantern, Mortal Kombat, Monster House, and Superhero Movie."

"Is Superhero Movie a documentary or something?" M'gann asked.

"Nope. It's a parody of various superheroes and stuff." Robin said.

"Well, that doesn't seem very nice."

"Maybe not, but it's hilarious. Even Batman thought so… but he just said that, he didn't actually laugh…"

"Hold up." Roy said, "The Batman actually thought it was funny?"

"Don't tell him I said that." Robin said.

"No promises."

* * *

After we finished our fifth movie, everybody but Robin, Sanctus, and I had crashed.

"So, you wanna watch Nightmare on Elm Street?" Robin said, "Or do you wanna save it for tomorrow?"

"I would like to watch it, if that is okay with you." Sanctus said.

"What about you, Kon? You wanna watch it?"

"I guess. At least Wally won't be screaming through the entire thing." I said.

"Alright!" Robin said, grinning from ear to ear.

* * *

When Nightmare on Elm Street ended, Sanctus had fallen asleep.

Now was my chance.

"Robin, I need to talk to you." I said.

"Yeah?" Robin yawned.

"What's been bothering you the past few days?" I asked.

"Not this again…" he groaned.

"M'gann and I aren't going to leave you alone about it until you tell one of us."

Robin paused. "Fine. But you can't tell anyone other than M'gann. I swear, if you do, I'll kick your butt."

"Alright."

"…A couple times a year, I get to thinking about… family…" he said.

"I'm going to need more than that."

"Four years ago… in Gotham… my family decided to visit. We haven't heard that Gotham was all that bad, but we knew Batman protected the city. Long story short… my parents were… they were killed…" Robin muttered.

His gaze shifted to the floor.

"And the worst part is, I couldn't do a damn thing to prevent it… I was… scared…"

We didn't say anything to each other for the longest time.

"It's okay to be scared at that age." I finally said, "You were only nine… you didn't know what to do."

Robin sighed, "No, it's not okay. I could still be with them if I had warned them. It's my fault they're gone."

"Don't blame yourself for these things. Whoever decided to murder them, they're the one to blame, not you."

Robin was quiet for a few minutes, before he finally said, "Thanks, Conner."

"That's what friends are for, right?"

* * *

**A/N: D'awww, brotherly fluff :'D**


	15. Christmas

**A/N: I'm well aware it isn't Christmas... but I wrote this chapter months ago, so just deal with it, okay?**

* * *

**Chapter 15- Christmas  
-Aqualad's POV-**

I have never seen a Christmas celebration before.

You would think in my two years as Aqualad, I would have.

Even Wally said that I should've at least seen a few of these celebrations.

And yet, I have not.

So, I find myself eager to participate in such a joyous occasion, similar to that of a child. I am happy to be spending that time with my teammates.

Of our team, only a few of us have not celebrated Christmas.

Conner was only discovered a few months ago. This is his first Christmas.

M'gann has heard of the holiday on Mars, and even tried to get her family to celebrate it. However, the attempt failed.

Robin said that he would have to patrol on Christmas. So, this is his first Christmas in years.

And I myself would be in Atlantis or on the surface, protecting the innocent from evil.

But we are here now. That is what matters.

* * *

Everyone woke up earlier than usual.

I suppose it is because, like myself, we are excited. In our line of work, we do not know if our next mission will be our last. We never know if we will ever have a chance to be together like this in the future.

We all agreed to have breakfast first, then open presents. M'gann, Artemis, Zatanna, and Sanctus helped each other make breakfast, while Conner, Wally, Robin, Roy, and I talked for a while.

"Dude! You seriously took down the Justice League?" Wally exclaimed, eyes widening in awe.

"Yup. But only to prove a point." Robin said, "I mean, c'mon, if you've been trained by the big bad bat himself, you learn to pick up a few tricks."

"You even took down Superman?" Conner asked.

"Yeah, but he and Wonder Woman were challenging. It's like fighting Killer Crock with both your hands tied behind your back."

"Oh."

"So, what about you guys? Any interesting stories about your earlier days as sidekicks?" Robin asked.

"Hold on." Wally said, "Before we go on to the next person, tell them about the first time you fought with Joker."

Robin froze. "No. No way. Dude, when Batman told me about his first encounter with the Joker, I had nightmares for a week. After my first encounter with the Joker, I had nightmares for a month."

"C'mon!" Wally whined.

"No, Wally."

"Duuuuuude!"

"Wally, that is enough." I said, "If he does not want to talk about it, he doesn't have to."

"Fine…"

"Breakfast's ready!" M'gann called from the kitchen.

"Alright!" Wally exclaimed.

Robin jumped off the couch and ran off behind Wally.

I chuckled, and Conner gave a small smirk.

"Kon, Kal! You coming?" Robin yelled.

"Yes." I call back.

* * *

After we had breakfast, everyone left to get the presents they had for others.

"Alright. Who wants to go first?" Robin asked.

"Oh! I do!" M'gann said.

"Conner, this is for you." She said, holding out a bright red package to him.

Conner tore open the package. It was a picture of him and M'gann on their first official date.

"Thanks, M'gann." He said, giving her a small smile.

M'gann smiled back, then reached for the next package. "Artemis, here's yours."

Artemis took the package and opened it. Inside was a new crossbow and a couple arrows for it.

"Cool! Thanks!" she said.

M'gann nodded. She turned to face Wally. "Here's yours."

Wally ripped it open without a second thought. In the box was a new pair of goggles. "Sweet! I've needed a new pair of these! Thanks, babe!"

"Robin, for you."

Robin opened his present. Inside was a copy of _Batman: Arkham City_.

"Cool! Thanks, Miss M!" Robin said, grinning from ear to ear.

"I thought you'd like it." M'gann giggled, "Here's yours, Zatanna."

Zatanna opened her gift, which was a Black Eyed Peas CD. "Thanks so much!"

"Roy, here's your gift."

Roy took the gift, which was a set of special trick arrows.

"Whoa. Never seen arrows like these before." He said.

"They're something Robin helped me design. He thought you might like them."

"I do. Thanks."

"Sanctus, this one's for you."

Sanctus tore open her gift, which was black Batman and Robin shirt. The second she laid her eyes on it, she squealed.

"Thank you so much!" she squealed.

"And, last but not least, here's yours, Kaldur."

I opened my gift, which was a copy of _War and Peace_, a book that I have wanted to read for a while.

"Thank you, M'gann. I cannot wait to read it." I said.

M'gann smiled. "You're welcome. So, who's next?"

* * *

It was about an hour later when the gift exchange ended.

I had received several books from my friends that I have found interesting. I had found myself quite interested in classic literature, Edgar Allan Poe in particular.

M'gann had received three different _Hello Megan_ posters, a scrapbook with pictures of the team, a very interesting book series on Martians (M'gann had found it quite amusing), and a couple cook books.

Conner had received a book on dog training, the entire _Smallville _series, and a few Superman related gifts.

Artemis received various weapons, CDs, and some "Get the Hell Away From Me" coupons from Wally. "Those are gonna be useful." Artemis snorted.

Wally, in addition to his new goggles, received posters of the Flash, a couple Flash shirts, and a book on advanced scientific research.

Robin had received a new laptop, _All-Star Batman and Robin_, and a set of unique weapons from Roy. "I can't figure out how to use them, but knowing you, you'll find a way to use 'em." Roy laughed.

Zatanna had received various spell books and CDs.

Roy had various weapons, a Red Arrow poster (the first of its kind), and another set of trick arrows.

Sanctus had received various Batman and Robin merchandise, ranging from a poster of Batman and Robin to a very detailed figurine of the dynamic duo.

We all had a very good holiday. We spent the rest of the day talking about our early days as sidekicks, our first mission, and even talking about what our lives were like before we became sidekicks.


	16. Red Hood and the Witch Boy

**Chapter 16- Red Hood and the Witch Boy**

**-Artemis' POV-**

The next day, everything went back to normal.

Wally and I argued… but for some reason, nowhere near as much as we used to.

Kaldur went back to trying to prevent said arguments.

M'gann continued trying to perfect various recipes.

Conner was watching the static on the TV.

And Robin was nowhere to be found… most likely in Gotham, kicking bad guy butt.

Which, to be honest, is something I want to do right now more than anything.

I tried to see if Red Tornado had any missions for us, but he didn't.

Did the same thing with any league member that passed through.

No dice.

**Recognized: Batman, 0-2**

**Recognized: Robin, B-0-1**

Finally!

Apparently, Wally was thinking the same thing, because he ran at a speed that would make the Flash jealous.

"HeyBats!Yougotamissionforus?" Wally asked.

"Yes." Batman said.

"Woo-hoo!"

"Suit up and be in here in fifteen."

* * *

"I'm sure you remember the Red Hood." Batman said. Several pictures of the guy we fought with a couple days back came up.

"Yeah. Robin screwed up the mission because he just couldn't hurt the second Robin." Wally said.

"Shut up!" Robin yelled. He looked like he'd throw a batarang at him.

I punched Wally in the back.

"Hey, what was that for?" Wally whined.

"For being a jerk." I said.

"Enough." Batman said.

Silence.

"This isn't about what happened the first time you encountered the Red Hood. What matters is if you let him get away again." Batman said, "Failure will not be tolerated this time. If he gets away this time, you will be removed from the team."

Everyone's eyes widened.

I looked over at Robin.

Both of his fists were clenched tightly. His eyes were narrowed. He looked like he wanted to say something, but just couldn't do it.

Batman noticed this, too, but didn't say anything.

"Move out." He said.

* * *

We were about halfway to Japan before anyone spoke.

"Okay, am I the only one who thinks this is totally unfair?" Wally asked.

Nobody answered.

"You wanna know what I think? I think if we do fail… oh, who am I kidding… **when** we fail, we all know who should be removed from the team." He glared at Robin, "The Boy Blunder here's the one who failed last time! He should go, not us!"

"Wally!" M'gann shouted.

"There is no reason to say such a thing." Kaldur said.

"Yes, there is! We're all thinking it, too!" Wally shouted.

"Really, Baywatch?" I asked, "You're really gonna blame Robin for this?"

"No… he's right." Robin said, "If I didn't hold back, we wouldn't be in this mess."

"See?" Wally said.

"Robin, it is not your fault. I am sure any of us would do the same thing if we were in your shoes." Kaldur said.

"Yeah." I said.

They had no idea that I was going through the same thing.

Well, it is possible that Robin may know (hello, partner to the world's greatest detective), but he hasn't said anything about it.

Cheshire… my sister, Jade… I remember having to fight her on my first day on the team. I let her get away.

Just like Robin did with the Red Hood.

"Yeah, it is. I was taught to not let my emotions get in the way of crime fighting. I did. I failed." He said.

"We're here." M'gann said.

* * *

We all split up into different groups. Sanctus, Robin and I in one, Aqualad and Kid Flash in another, and Superboy and Miss Martian in a different one.

Red Hood was spotted somewhere in Tokyo.

Thing is, we didn't know which part of Tokyo he was in.

So, Robin, Sanctus and I are now searching the warehouses in the eastern part of the city, hoping to find him.

"Red Hood was spotted in the eastern side of Tokyo." Robin said.

"Why did you not tell the others?" Sanctus asked.

"…I planned on doing this alone." Robin admitted, "Maybe, if I could convince him to stop killing off criminals… and, if he is working with the Light, maybe get him to help us. I didn't want anyone to be kicked off the team because of me."

I looked at Robin. I knew that feeling.

"Alright. Then we won't tell the others." I said.

Robin looked at me, then grinned from ear to ear. "Thanks, Artemis."

"What are friends for? 'Sides, if the team's broken up, you won't keep your promise about playing something on that guitar of yours." I said.

Robin gave a small laugh, then went back to looking for the Red Hood.

"There!" he said.

I glanced over to the area Robin pointed to. Sure as hell, there he was.

And he wasn't alone.

With him was Klarion and his cat, Teekl.

"Damn it." Robin whispered, "So… he is working with the Light…"

Sanctus placed a hand on his shoulder. "I am sure we can convince him to betray them."

Robin nodded. "Let's go."

* * *

We managed to get a little closer without being spotted.

"All I've seen you do so far was kill criminals." Klarion sneered.

"Shut your damn trap, Witch Boy." Red Hood grumbled, "Believe me, the Bat will send his little team of twerps. I bet they're already in Japan, lookin' for me. So, quit your whining, or I'll kill you."

"Big words for a guy without powers."

"You and I both know I don't need powers to kill you."

Klarion snickered, "Good luck with that."

"Give me a second." Red Hood said. He took out his gun and turned to face our direction.

"Come on out, Boy Wonder. I know you're there." He said, "You too, Arrow Girl, and whatever your name is."

_Damn._

We stood and faced Red Hood.

"What'd I tell you, Witch Boy?" he sneered.

Klarion pouted. "Just do your job."

"Alright."

Red Hood pointed his gun at Robin and began firing. Robin dodged each bullet while making his way towards him.

"You two get Klarion!" Robin yelled, "Red Hood's mine!"

"Wait! How do you expect Sanctus to-" I started to yell.

"Artemis, I am a Goddess. Klarion is a God. I think we are pretty well matched." Sanctus said.

"…Never mind…"

"So, what game shall we play today? Oooh, how about tag?" Klarion said with that creepy grin on his face.

He summoned several weapons, from swords and axes, to crossbows and guns.

"Yes. A game of tag would be quite fun." Sanctus said, "Exercitus arma!"

Several weapons appeared.

"Artemis, I believe I can handle Klarion. Go help Robin." She said.

"No. Robin told us-"

"He will need you more than I do at the moment."

"…Alright."


	17. Target

**Chapter 17- Target**

**-Red Hood's POV-**

I'll be honest… working with Klarion the Witch Boy was not what I was expecting.

Tangling with Dick and his little friends, yeah, I was expecting that.

But Klarion? No.

Here's another thing I didn't see coming: Robin chasing after me with about as much fury as the Man of Steel when you get on his bad side.

In case you don't know, that's a bad thing.

* * *

"_You can't be serious." Dick said._

"_I decided that being Robin would help him." Bruce said._

"_I'm not mad about that."_

"_Really?"_

"…_You really have no idea, do you? My mom gave me that name. It's one of the few things I still have from my Flying Grayson days. And what do you do? You give it to a kid who's likely gonna get killed!"_

"_Jason has street smarts. He knows how to fight, too."_

"_That doesn't change a thing! Jason's good, I'll admit that… but why give him this… why give him the mantle of Robin?"_

"_Last time I checked, you were no longer a vigilante."_

"_Last time I checked, it was because you fired me."_

"_You didn't follow orders."_

"_So?"_

"_Someone died, and you were almost killed."_

_With that, Dick's fist collided with Bruce's jaw._

* * *

I fired off a couple of shots, which Robin dodged.

Was it me, or was the kid not holding back this time?

"Hood!" Robin yelled. He threw a couple batarangs at me.

I dodged all but one, which hit me in the shoulder.

And man, did it hurt.

I stopped to remove the batarang from my shoulder… which was stupid, because Robin caught up to me.

"I'm giving you one chance…" Robin said, "I don't want to do this… really, I don't… just stop. Batman, he doesn't want to do this."

"Then why send you guys?" I asked.

"He thought that maybe… if I found you first… that we could convince you to stop before the league has to get involved."

I paused. The kid was telling the truth. I could tell (hello, former partner to the Batman here).

But then I remember my mission.

"Sorry… but I don't think so." I said.

Before Robin could blink, I fired off a couple rounds. He dodged two of them, on grazed his cheek… and the other went through his side.

"Ahh!" Robin immediately grabbed his side.

"Don't worry. I missed any vital wounds… but if you're not careful, you'll bleed out." I said.

"You… you son of a…" Robin growled.

"Robin!"

Crap.

That archer girl again.

She shot off a couple arrows at me. I managed to dodge them all.

Then I see she wasn't aiming at me.

She was aiming at the water tower behind me.

The arrow explodes, sending water flying, eventually sweeping me off my feet.

As I stand up, I can see Robin and Arrow Girl (or whatever her name is) both ready to attack.

Then I hear an explosion from a distance.

That's my cue.

"It's been fun, but I've gotta go!" I yelled.

I see the girl try to go after me, but Robin stops her.

They see smoke from the building that held the bomb, and race towards it, most likely to rescue anyone in there.

* * *

Klarion was having a hard time with that girl… Sanctus, right?

I knew if I didn't end it now, they'd destroy each other… and the entire city of Tokyo.

So, I did the first thing that came to me: tranquilizer darts.

"Hey, Witch boy, get outta the way!" I call.

Klarion does what I said. I shoot the darts at Sanctus.

She was out like a light.

"Target acquired." I said, "Man, I've always wanted to say that."

Klarion didn't say anything. He just snapped his fingers and we were out of Tokyo.

* * *

"_You have done well, Jason Todd."_

"Yeah, yeah, just transfer the money already." I said.

"_As promised, an additional one hundred billion American dollars have been transferred to your Swiss account. Now, back to your secondary mission. Do whatever you need to do to distract Batman."_

"Should be easy enough."

"_Good. We expect frequent updates."_

"Alright."


	18. Meeting of the Light 2

**Chapter 18- Meeting of the Light (2)**

**-Normal POV-**

"_Are you certain that trusting Jason will help our cause?"_

"_Yes. The boy knows more about the Batman than even me. He'll be able to cause the fall of the Justice League."_

"_Does it not worry you that he could destroy cities if he wanted to?"_

"_Jason will not go that far. For all he knows, he is helping people."_

"_Part of me believes this plan will backfire."_

"_I agree. One as unstable as Jason-"_

"_Do not worry about Jason. He is simply another pawn on the chess board."_

"_Even so, a pawn can rise up against its master. The children… those sidekicks… they rose up against their mentors to find the Superboy. If this pawn rises against us…"_

"_We have too much to deal with as it is. I don't want another thing."_

"_Have faith. This will work."_


	19. Seventy two

**Chapter 19- Seventy-Two**

**-Robin's POV-**

The last thing I wanted was this.

But it had to be done.

He didn't take the offer. Instead, Jason declined.

So I fought with him.

That's how I ended up with a bullet hole in my side.

I guess I should be lucky… after all, it didn't hit anything vital.

But it was bleeding pretty bad- which isn't good.

I feel weak, and I figure that, at any moment, I'll pass out from the blood loss.

But that's not gonna stop me.

Artemis had already contacted the others, and was now working on stopping the bleeding.

"Hold still!" Artemis hissed.

"I'm trying!" I say. I hiss from the pain.

"Rob, we should get medical attention for you as soon as possible." She said, "I can only do so much about this."

She was starting to sound like Alfred.

"Artemis, you're starting to sound like Agent A. Anyway, I'm fine. Red Hood's our top priority."

"Who is- ugh, never mind that. What the heck do you mean by "fine"? Does being shot and almost bleeding out count as "fine"? I don't think so."

"Really, Artemis, I'm fine. I'm not dead yet… and we have to catch the Red Hood, or Batman's gonna-" I said.

"That's what you're freaked over about? Batman kicking people off the team? Rob, do you really think Batman's gonna keep a promise like that?" Artemis asked.

"Yes. I know he will."

Artemis gave a small laugh, then got serious. "Robin, if one of us gets kicked off the team, we all go. We're like- no, we are- a family."

Family. Something I didn't give much thought about the team becoming before.

I mean, some of us are pretty close… Wally's my best bro, and Kaldur's been like an older brother to me… but we knew each other for years! The rest of the team, I'm not so sure. I don't work with them that often, mostly because my nights in Gotham take top priority.

So, when Artemis said we were a family… I guess that made me feel pretty good. They didn't even know my real name… and yet… they still think of me as part of the family.

"…really?" I ask.

"Yeah." She said.

"Now, we need to worry about that explosion… it's about six blocks south from here. We need to find and rescue any and all civilians."

"Right."

* * *

After rescuing about thirty civilians from a huge fire, we came back to meet with Sanctus.

She wasn't there.

Damn it.

"Where is she?" Artemis asked.

"Dunno… we'll have to fear the worst…" I said.

"You don't mean…"

"Like I said, I don't know… they may have taken her hostage, killed her; there are a number of possibilities."

"So what should we do?"

"Hold on a sec." I say.

_Miss Martian, are you in range?_

_Yes. Is there something wrong? _Miss Martian replied.

_Sanctus is missing. Last time we checked, she was fighting Klarion. I went to chase after Red Hood-_

_Hold it, you found Red Hood? Why didn't you tell us?_ Kid Flash asked.

_Red Hood is a Gotham villain. My city. My villain. My problem._

_You were gonna try to convince him to stop, weren't you? _Miss Martian asked.

_Yeah… _I admitted, _I thought that maybe I could get him to stop… but it looks like I was wrong. So now he's my problem now. And that's not even the least of our worries…_

_What are you talking about?_ Aqualad asked.

_Sanctus has been captured._

* * *

"Not only did you fail to capture the Red hood…" Batman said, "You also allowed Klarion to capture your teammate, and allowed the Red Hood to almost cripple, or worse, kill, another. Once again, you failed."

"Don't blame this on them!" I yelled.

"Silence. You should have-"

"Seen this coming? Actually, I did see this coming. I did see Red Hood almost killing me. I did see Sanctus that allowing Sanctus and Artemis to go against Klarion alone would go south. I did see Sanctus telling Artemis to help me out." I said.

"Robin-"

"Shut up!" I said, cutting him off, "I did what you refuse to do. I trusted them. It's not their fault, okay? We separated. KF, Aqualad, Miss M and Supes didn't know that this would happen. Artemis didn't know that Klarion would capture Sanctus when she left to help me. If anything, it's my fault for not being prepared for this."

"Robin, listen-" Batman said.

"Oh, that reminds me… if we failed, someone gets kicked off, huh? Then I guess I'm off the team."

"What?" Wally yelled, "Dude, you can't be serious!"

"Damn right I am. You even said it yourself." I said, turning my back from the team.

"Robin…" M'gann said.

I didn't hear the rest of what she said. I was already gone.

* * *

I had gone to clear my mind… so why I'm in Bludhaven, I don't know.

Believe it or not, Bludhaven's worse than Gotham. Murders happen every night, hospital's always packed with dying people, and the slums here make the slums in Gotham look like paradise.

There may not be that many crazies here, but that doesn't mean they aren't as brutal.

I've seen cases where the murders here make the Joker's look like child's play.

And, in case you don't know, that's a bad thing.

Now, keeping that in mind, that, and the fact that I'm not that familiar with Bludhaven, you can see that part of the reason I came here was to look for trouble.

And, in the past, I've done a pretty good job getting myself knee-deep in trouble.

So, here I am, Superboy pissed, ready to throw a Batarang at the next person who even says "hello", and looking for trouble in a city that's worse than Gotham.

Once again, a bad thing.

Batman taught me that emotions could get you or somebody else killed. I could see that, to be honest.

When Jason died, he was on a rampage. It took some kid to convince me to get me to come back.

* * *

"_Dick, he needs you!"_

"_Tim, in case you've forgotten, he fired me."_

"_So what? I'm damn sure that didn't stop you before!"_

"_Well this time, it did. I'm. Not. Going."_

"_You can't just let Batman and Robin die!"_

"_When Jason died… he took Robin with him."_

"_No, he didn't. Robin's still alive. I'm talking to him right now."_

"…"

"_Dick… please…"_

"_Fine…"_

* * *

From that day forward, I kept my mantle as Robin.

I paused. Maybe now would be a good time to talk to the kid.

* * *

I swear, Tim Drake is impossible to sneak up on.

"Hey Dick." He said.

"How did you-" I started.

"Hey, I'm a detective… sorta." He replied.

"A pretty damn good one, too." I laugh.

Tim gave a small laugh.

Ever since the kid discovered our identities, Bruce and I have trusted him to be our eyes and ears in the street. Tim goes to Gotham North, and he tends to hear quite a bit about the underworld there. With his help, we've uncovered small drug rings and a mob boss or two, but that's mostly it. Still, he's very resourceful. His hacking and computer skills are almost at my level, and he's got a pretty high IQ.

The main problem was his dad.

His dad was extremely protective of Tim, ever since his mom was killed. If his dad knew he'd been helping us out, he'd take Tim out of Gotham.

So we agreed not to tell a soul.

He knew our identities, but the kid never told anyone.

And since Tim never told our secrets, I'd usually talk to him about stuff I didn't feel like talking about to Bruce or Alfred.

"So, what's up, Dick?" Tim asked.

"Ah, you know, trying to keep myself from getting killed, probably going insane…" I say, then add quickly, "Tracking down the Red Hood."

"Wait, what was that last one?"

"The new anti-hero in town… the Red Hood."

"You seem disappointed about it. Wanna talk?"

I sigh, "The Red Hood… it's Jason…"

Tim just gives me this "okay, you ARE insane" look and says, "Are you serious?"

"Yeah."

"T-that can't be! There are two things wrong with that… one, Jason was a Robin! A good guy! And two… he's dead! Jason Todd died long ago!"

"The Lazarus pit." I said, "It can bring back the dead."

"Wait, so Ra's al Ghūl has something to do with this?" Tim asked.

"I think so."

"Did you tell Batman?"

"Yeah… but…"

* * *

"_Jason Todd is the Red Hood."_

_Bruce was silent for a minute._

_Wait for it…_

"_What?" he asked calmly._

"_You heard me." I said._

_Bruce stood up from his seat and walked over to the wall._

_**BAM!**_

_There was a small crater in the wall._

"_That can't be. Jason Todd was killed by the Joker." He growled, "You're lying."_

_In denial. I saw that coming._

"_No, I'm not." I say, "You and I both know I'm not lying."_

_Bruce was silent._

"_We have to stop him… one way or another."_

"…_You're right. On the next mission, try to find Jason first. Try to convince him to come back, or stop, or something. If you fail though… he becomes the League's responsibility."_

"_Understood."_

* * *

"…He took it that hard, huh?" Tim asked.

"Yeah… and to make matters worse, Jason also captured out newest member…" I said.

"Then we'll track 'em down." Tim says, "Did you manage to implant a tracer?"

I smile, "First thing I did. Even the Batman can't find one of these."

"Let's get started, then."

* * *

It took a bit of time, but we found Red Hood.

He was in India.

"Okay… so now we have to worry about getting there without Batman knowing." I said.

"Which, as we all know, is impossible." Tim said.

"Maybe, maybe not. We'll never know if we don't try." I say.

"Dick, maybe it'd be a good thing if you did tell Bruce." Now he's trying to reason with me.

"Why? So he can find a way to ditch me and do it himself?"

"What makes you think like that?"

"Batman's been hiding something from me… not sure what it is just yet, but when I find out…"

"You'll confront him about it, and most likely get into an argument about it?"

"You guessed it, Tim."

Tim was quite for a second. "Let's make a deal. You tell Batman, and I'll figure out what he's hiding."

"Tim, I don't think that'll work…" I say.

"You said it yourself- my hacking and detective skills are almost, if not, is, at your level." Tim pointed out.

"I still don't know…"

"Come on, Dick… I wanna help."

I smile. "Alright, kid. It's a deal."

* * *

"Hey, Bruce?"

"Yes, Dick?" Bruce says, not looking up from what he was working on.

"…Tim and I found out where Red Hood was hiding." I said.

That got him to stop whatever he was doing to look at me.

"What?" he asked.

"You heard me. Tim and I found the Red Hood."

"…"

"You didn't think I'd let him escape without putting a tracer on him, did you?"

"No… but you said Tim helped you, right?"

"Yeah. I came to talk to him and we ended up tracing Jason. Tim's in the middle of finding and other trace of him as we speak." I said.

"I see… do you think it might lead us to Sanctus?" Bruce asked.

"Unsure… I got Etrigan to search for any traces of magical activity on the planet, so we should know if it is linked to Sanctus or not soon."

"Good. As soon as Tim or Etrigan finds something out, I'll deploy the team… that is, if you're willing to come back."

"…Alright… only because this is my problem."

* * *

After I finished talking with Bruce, Tim called.

"Anything on Jason, Tim?" I ask.

"_No. But I did find out what Batman was hiding." _He says.

"What is it?"

"_There is something big going on with the universe… apparently Batman doesn't know all the details, but there's enough to tell that it's destructive… apocalyptic, almost."_

"I don't like the sound of that…" I say.

"_And what's worse… it appears it's connected to Sanctus… and we only have seventy-two hours to stop it."_

* * *

**A/N: Ooooooh... cliff hanger...**


	20. Closer

**Chapter 20- Closer**

**-Red Arrow's POV -**

I wouldn't be here if Robin and Wally didn't call.

I mean, Sanctus isn't my responsibility. She's Captain Marvel's problem.

I'm not even a member of the team!

But, I've known Wally and Robin for a while… and they'd do the same for me.

Now, here's where it gets… weird.

We have less than seventy-two hours to prevent the apocalypse.

It's crazy! I mean, I would have expected Darksied or something like that, not a Robin fangirl from the fifth dimension.

But, it appears that I'm not the only guy going to be there who isn't a member of the team.

When I got there, Zatanna and some kid in a costume similar to Robin's were there.

"Who's the kid?" I ask.

"Agent T." Robin says, "But, for now, call him Redbird."

"Oh… so, is he like Agent A?"

"Kinda. Like Agent A, he doesn't usually go on the field, but the kid's a good fighter, and an even better hacker. Almost at my level." Robin said, "Kid might become the second Robin if I ever give up the mantle."

I see Redbird look down to the ground, as though he didn't think what Robin was saying was true.

It's as though he was insecure… like he wasn't good enough.

Then the kid looks back up with a small smile on his face.

"Anyway, with Red's help, I managed to track down Red Hood. Etrigan is still looking into finding magical hotspots for Sanctus-" Robin said.

"Hold on!" Redbird said, "I just received word that Etrigan did find Sanctus. She's in the same area as the Red Hood."

"Good. I'm assuming that this mission may, if not, will get us killed if we're not careful. Not to mention the fact that we have less than seventy-two hours to save the world from the apocalypse, and the league, except for Batman, doesn't know a thing about this." Robin said.

"Hold it, the league doesn't know?" Wally asked.

"No, they don't. And I'd like to keep it that way."

"I don't like the idea of keeping a secret this big from the league…" I say, "…Ah, screw it, let's just get this over with."

Robin smirks.

"Okay, then. Batman's already in India. We meet up with him in the Himalayas. We'll then split up into groups." He says.

"Alright. Let's get this show on the road."

* * *

As Robin said, Batman was there, waiting for us in the Himalayas.

"You briefed them on the mission?" Batman asked.

Robin nodded.

"Good. Red Arrow, you, Aqualad, and Artemis are to go in stealth mode. Take down any guards in the area. Miss Martian, you, Kid Flash, and Zatanna will find Sanctus. Robin, you, Redbird, and Superboy are with me. We'll go after the Red Hood." Batman said, "Now get going."

* * *

"There are guards posted in every entrance to the enemy's stronghold." Aqualad said, "We will separate these entrances into three sectors. Artemis, you will take sector one, which has guards posted higher up the mountain. Red Arrow, you will take sector two, at the rear. I will take sector three, up at the front. Once you have handled your sector, report back."

"Understood." I said.

"Right." Artemis said.

"Go." Aqualad said.

* * *

You'd think the Light could afford better guards.

Seriously, I think I finished them off about as fast as Robin.

No, really. I'm pretty damn sure I did!

"Aqualad, I've secured sector two." I said.

"_Good. Artemis has secured sector one, and I am almost finished here."_

"Aqualad… am I the only one who thinks this is going too well?" I ask.

"_No, you are not. I believe the Light has something hidden for us… but we must not let them know we think that."_

"Yeah… So, what do we do next?"

"_Meet me at sector one. We will talk more there."_

* * *

"So we agree… the Light does have some kind of secret weapon." Aqualad said.

Artemis and I nodded.

"Right… I will radio Batman." He said.

While he contacted Batman, Artemis and I started thinking about the Light's secret weapon.

Maybe a G-gnome from Cadmus?

Or some mutant?

Or… a clone of some sort.

"He told us to meet up with Miss Martian and her group. He has already informed her that we will be joining her." Aqualad said.

* * *

As Aqualad said, the other group was expecting us.

"So far, we've run into several G-gnomes, each one stronger than the last… I think this means that we're getting closer to Sanctus." Miss Martian said.

"She's right." Zatanna said, "I can feel it."

"How close are we to Sanctus?" I asked.

"Halfway there." She said.

"Good. We will continue to go forward." Aqualad said.


	21. Madman

**Chapter 21- Madman**

**-Kid Flash's POV -**

After Batman split us up into groups, we managed to get into the hideout without being spotted.

Did I say without being spotted?

Well… not totally…

A few G-gnomes found us… but they were fairly easy to take care of, so we decided not to worry about it.

The further in we got, however, the stronger each G-gnome got.

After clashing with our ninth group of G-gnomes, I suddenly thought of something.

"Zatanna… are we getting any closer to Sanctus?" I ask.

"Now that you mention it…" Zatanna said, "I can feel some kind of magical force… it gets stronger the further in we go."

"That's her!" Miss Martian said.

"So, we just keep moving forward?" I ask.

"Yeah." Zatanna said.

* * *

About halfway through the hideout, we meet up with Aqualad, Red Arrow, and Artemis.

"What had happened so far?" Aqualad asked.

"So far, we've run into several G-gnomes, each one stronger than the last… I think this means that we're getting closer to Sanctus." Miss Martian said.  
"She's right." Zatanna said, "I can feel it."  
"How close are we to Sanctus?" I asked.  
"Halfway there." She said.  
"Good. We will continue to go forward." Aqualad said.

* * *

At this point, I'd really like to go back to fighting G-gnomes.

We were getting extremely close…

Close enough that everyone could feel Sanctus' magical signature.

But instead of a G-gnome…

…We're stuck with the Joker.

Now, this wouldn't have been as bad if Robin or Batman was here… but they weren't.

And we don't know what to expect…

In other words, this was a disaster… and, as Robin would say, it'd be heavy on the 'dis'.

Zatanna had tried to trap the madman, but he was just too… unpredictable? I couldn't think of a word for it.

Miss Martian had tried to use her telepathic skills to knock him out, but it was just too much… whatever she saw must've been pretty bad, because she let out this bone-chilling scream and passed out.

So, that's why I'm going nuts, trying to contact Batman with a malfunctioning radio, and failing to keep a cool head.

Finally, on the third or fourth attempt, I got him.

"_Batman here."_

"J-Joker… here… need help…" I said.

"_Understood. I'm sending reinforcements."_

* * *

Those ten minutes it took the reinforcements to come in felt like ten years.

Really, it did.

Course, maybe it was because I was scared half to death. When you're a speedster who feels like he could die any second from fear, time seems to do that to you.

But finally, reinforcements came.

They were obviously members of the Bat family. They had to be if Batman called them in.

One of them I recognized as Huntress. It was easy to tell, with her purple, black, and white outfit and crossbow.

Rumor has it that she can kill people one thousand ways with that thing…

With her was her partner… not sure who she is, but she's powerful.

Then, there was Batwoman… Robin said he didn't know much about her. When I asked if she and the Bat were dating…

"No… she's got a girlfriend." Robin replied.

"Huh?" I ask, "You mean… she's…"

"Hey, I don't judge… what matters is that she's helping people." He said.

There was Catwoman, too.

"Part Rekoj ni a egac!" Zatanna shouted.

The spell worked… momentarily.

"Is that all you got, magic girl?" the Joker laughed.

Catwoman scratched at his face. The madman howled in pain.

Catwoman smirked… but that smirk vanished when Joker started laughing.

She dodged a swipe from Joker's knife. "Damn it… this madman's getting on my nerves." She said.

"Tell me about it." Huntress said, "This guy doesn't stay in Arkham long… they really need to reboot the security."

"They won't do it." said Batwoman, "Doctor Arkham claims it's not good for their recovery." She punched Joker in the face, then added, "Not good for their recovery, my ass."

"How the hell is he wiping the floor with all of us?" I ask, "I mean, he's up against ten of us!"

"I don't know." Catwoman replied, "But he's been known to give Batman a run for his money."

Suddenly, I thought of something.

"I got a plan!" I yell.

"What is it?" Zatanna asked.

"Create a copy of Batman. Maybe it'll help out a little."

"Alright." Zatanna said, "Etaerc a ypoc fo Namtab!"

A copy of Batman was made. Immediately, it went after the Joker.

The second its fist connected with Joker's nose, I knew it wouldn't be pretty. I looked away.

After a few minutes, Joker was unconscious, and the Batman copy was wiping Joker's blood off his gauntlet.

"Namtab ypoc, raeppasid!" Zatanna said. The Batman copy was gone.

"Part Rekoj ni a egac!" Joker was now in a cage.

"That takes care of that…" said Artemis.

"Now we go back to searching for Sanctus…" Aqualad said, "Stay on your toes."

* * *

**A/N: In case you're wondering, it's been confirmed that Batwoman is in fact a lesbian. I'm not sure which comic it was confirmed in, but I'm too lazy to look it up... so, just Google it if you want proof.**

**And Huntress' partner is another OC... she'll get the own story at some point... if I even finish the one I'm working on.**


	22. Forward

**Chapter 20- Closer**

**-Red Arrow's POV -**

I wouldn't be here if Robin and Wally didn't call.

I mean, Sanctus isn't my responsibility. She's Captain Marvel's problem.

I'm not even a member of the team!

But, I've known Wally and Robin for a while… and they'd do the same for me.

Now, here's where it gets… weird.

We have less than seventy-two hours to prevent the apocalypse.

It's crazy! I mean, I would have expected Darksied or something like that, not a Robin fangirl from the fifth dimension.

But, it appears that I'm not the only guy going to be there who isn't a member of the team.

When I got there, Zatanna and some kid in a costume similar to Robin's were there.

"Who's the kid?" I ask.

"Agent T." Robin says, "But, for now, call him Redbird."

"Oh… so, is he like Agent A?"

"Kinda. Like Agent A, he doesn't usually go on the field, but the kid's a good fighter, and an even better hacker. Almost at my level." Robin said, "Kid might become the second Robin if I ever give up the mantle."

I see Redbird look down to the ground, as though he didn't think what Robin was saying was true.

It's as though he was insecure… like he wasn't good enough.

Then the kid looks back up with a small smile on his face.

"Anyway, with Red's help, I managed to track down Red Hood. Etrigan is still looking into finding magical hotspots for Sanctus-" Robin said.

"Hold on!" Redbird said, "I just received word that Etrigan did find Sanctus. She's in the same area as the Red Hood."

"Good. I'm assuming that this mission may, if not, will get us killed if we're not careful. Not to mention the fact that we have less than seventy-two hours to save the world from the apocalypse, and the league, except for Batman, doesn't know a thing about this." Robin said.

"Hold it, the league doesn't know?" Wally asked.

"No, they don't. And I'd like to keep it that way."

"I don't like the idea of keeping a secret this big from the league…" I say, "…Ah, screw it, let's just get this over with."

Robin smirks.

"Okay, then. Batman's already in India. We meet up with him in the Himalayas. We'll then split up into groups." He says.

"Alright. Let's get this show on the road."

* * *

As Robin said, Batman was there, waiting for us in the Himalayas.

"You briefed them on the mission?" Batman asked.

Robin nodded.

"Good. Red Arrow, you, Aqualad, and Artemis are to go in stealth mode. Take down any guards in the area. Miss Martian, you, Kid Flash, and Zatanna will find Sanctus. Robin, you, Redbird, and Superboy are with me. We'll go after the Red Hood." Batman said, "Now get going."

* * *

"There are guards posted in every entrance to the enemy's stronghold." Aqualad said, "We will separate these entrances into three sectors. Artemis, you will take sector one, which has guards posted higher up the mountain. Red Arrow, you will take sector two, at the rear. I will take sector three, up at the front. Once you have handled your sector, report back."

"Understood." I said.

"Right." Artemis said.

"Go." Aqualad said.

* * *

You'd think the Light could afford better guards.

Seriously, I think I finished them off about as fast as Robin.

No, really. I'm pretty damn sure I did!

"Aqualad, I've secured sector two." I said.

"_Good. Artemis has secured sector one, and I am almost finished here."_

"Aqualad… am I the only one who thinks this is going too well?" I ask.

"_No, you are not. I believe the Light has something hidden for us… but we must not let them know we think that."_

"Yeah… So, what do we do next?"

"_Meet me at sector one. We will talk more there."_

* * *

"So we agree… the Light does have some kind of secret weapon." Aqualad said.

Artemis and I nodded.

"Right… I will radio Batman." He said.

While he contacted Batman, Artemis and I started thinking about the Light's secret weapon.

Maybe a G-gnome from Cadmus?

Or some mutant?

Or… a clone of some sort.

"He told us to meet up with Miss Martian and her group. He has already informed her that we will be joining her." Aqualad said.

* * *

As Aqualad said, the other group was expecting us.

"So far, we've run into several G-gnomes, each one stronger than the last… I think this means that we're getting closer to Sanctus." Miss Martian said.

"She's right." Zatanna said, "I can feel it."

"How close are we to Sanctus?" I asked.

"Halfway there." She said.

"Good. We will continue to go forward." Aqualad said.


	23. Allies

**Chapter 23- Allies**

**-Superboy's POV-**

"_What's his story, anyway?" Kid Flash asked, "Why did the second Robin ally himself with the bad guys?"_

"_As you all know, there was a short time when I had… given up my mantle." said Robin, "Batman had not thought of finding a new partner until something happened."_

"_What happened?" Artemis asked._

"_Someone stole two tires off the Batmobile."_

"_What? Someone hijacked the Batmobile?" Kid Flash asked. He laughed._

"_Yes. He was working on the third wheel when he found him. He ran off before Bats could say a word. He was fast, but Batman was faster. He discovered that his parents were dead… he lived in a condemned building. He sold tires to support himself." Robin said, "Batman took him in as the second Robin, hoping it would set him on the right path. He had street smarts, and he was a good soldier… but he had far too much anger. Bats was prepared to strip him of the mantle of Robin… but he didn't. When he discovered his birth mother was alive and well, Batman allowed him to track her down, which he did. But… something unexpected came up."_

"_What?" I asked._

"_His mother was an ally of the Joker." Robin said, "She was a criminal long ago. She performed some pretty gruesome operations on teenaged girls. She wanted to start a new life, so she moved to Ethiopia to help those in need. All went well until the Joker found out. He blackmailed her, threatening to reveal her secret to everyone if she didn't give him medical supplies."_

"_Oh my God…" Miss Martian said._

"_He didn't discover this until it was too late. However, his mother didn't expect the Joker to betray her. Joker beat him with a crow bar, then set a bomb. He didn't deactivate it in time, and…" Robin cut himself off, not wanting to finish the sentence._

_But we all knew what he meant._

* * *

I look over at Robin.

He hasn't said a word since we left the bioship.

That alone told us something was wrong.

But we already knew what was up.

* * *

We arrived in the Himalayas, where Batman was waiting.

"You briefed them on the mission?" Batman asked.

Robin nodded.

"Good. Red Arrow, you, Aqualad, and Artemis are to go in stealth mode. Take down any guards in the area. Miss Martian, you, Kid Flash, and Zatanna will find Sanctus. Robin, you, Redbird, and Superboy are with me. We'll go after the Red Hood." Batman said, "Now get going."

* * *

We had already been searching for an hour when I started getting pissed.

Red Hood was more difficult to find than we thought.

Although, that shouldn't have been a surprise… after all, he was taught by Batman.

I was about to punch a hole into the wall when Redbird said something.

"You mind repeating that?" I ask.

"I said I have a feeling that we're being watched." Redbird repeated.

"You're not the only one…" Robin said, "So come on out already."

I hear some (very sarcastic) clapping.

Then we see him.

Red Hood stepped out of the shadows.

"I'll be honest… I'm not surprised you'd notice me, Wonder Boy. I gotta say, though, I'm surprised the big bad Bat didn't… and he's here, too. What a pleasant surprise." Red Hood said.

"…Just… just stop this." Robin said, "I don't want to fight you… and I know damn well Batman doesn't, either."

"It didn't work last time, kid… you think it'll work this time? I don't think so."

"Then why ally yourself with some of the world's worst criminals?" Robin yelled, anger replacing sorrow, "Do you know what the hell you're doing?"

"First, I'm not an ally… we just have a temporary alliance. Once whatever they have planned is over, I'll kill them all one by one."

"Do you know what they have planned?"

"Well… no."

Robin's holographic computer came up and he typed in a few things.

"What they're doing, Hood, is creating the end of the world. If Sanctus isn't returned to the fifth dimension, this entire world, and maybe the other fifty one, will be destroyed. If we don't get Sanctus out of here and back within the next sixty-nine hours, we're finished."

Red Hood was silent for a second. "What..? I've been helping them… end the world?"

Robin nodded, "So, are you gonna help?"

Red Hood stood there for a moment.

"Not a chance. I'm not working with you."

Red Hood charged at Robin. He aimed a punch to his face, but Robin caught his fist.

"This is the fate of the goddamn world we're talking about!" Robin yelled, "You can't seriously be thinking about working against us on this one!"

"Well, guess what… I am!" Red Hood growled, "I'm not gonna work with Batman's little black ops team." He grabbed Robin's wrist, pulled him forward, then kneed him in the stomach. Robin let out a loud cough, and fell to his knees.

I start running towards Red Hood, about ready to punch his face in.

The punch doesn't land.

Red Hood takes out a small green stone.

Immediately, I feel weak. My body howls in pain.

Everything hurts.

"W-what the h-hell is t-that?" I ask.

"You don't know?" Red Hood Laughed, "This stuff's Kryptonite… Superman's only weakness. I thought you'd know about it!"

I can't even speak, now… too weak.

Before I black out, I see Redbird take the Kryptonite from Red Hood.

* * *

**A/N: Kryptonite is painful...**


	24. Sixty nine

**Chapter 24- Sixty-nine**

**-Aqualad's POV-**

We were starting to tire by the time Knight and Squire joined us.

If they had not shown up when they did, the situation may have taken a turn for the worst.

"How close are we to Sanctus' location?" I asked.

"She's on the other side of that door." Zatanna said, pointing to two large doors on the other side of the gigantic room.

"Prepare for ambush." I instructed.

"Right." Everyone said in unison.

We were halfway across the room when, as I predicted, we were ambushed.

Before us stood the Creeper.

"What the- I thought Creeper was a good guy!" Kid Flash yelled.

"He's under control!" Miss Martian said.

"Very good, Martian." Came a voice from above.

We look up to see Psymon.

"Psymon!" Miss Martian growled.

"So, how about another round of Psymon Says?" he asked.

"Go! I'll take care of Psymon!" Miss Martian said.

"Are you sure? One of us can stay and help." I say.

"Go! Now!"

I nodded. "Go." I tell the others.

* * *

We entered through the corridor, which led us to a dim room.

The room was full of technology that I was sure even Robin would have trouble identifying. There were pods on tall shelves and along the walls with things from G-gnomes to beasts I have never seen in my life. There were several computer screens that cast an eerie blue glow on the walls and illuminated the room.

"Hey, look at this." Kid Flash said.

He was near a pod. There were no windows, so we could not look in it.

"What is it?" Red Arrow asked.

"I believe we can find out." Knight said, "Squire, if you will."

"'Aye." She said as she started to hack. Her hacking skills were not at Robin's level, but I was impressed none the less.

"It says 'ere that it's part of Project X. It was recovered from the rubble of Cadmus. It seems they left out who- or what- this thing is... an' it says 'ere the project was scrapped." Squire said.

"That's a load of crap!" Kid Flash said, "They wouldn't scrap that kind of project!"

"I dunno… but I'm unable to hack any further." She sighed.

"Don't worry about that, mate." Knight said, "We 'ave more important things to worry 'bout now."

"Yes. Zatanna, you said Sanctus was in this room?" I asked.

"Yeah… she's somewhere in here." Zatanna replied.

"Maybe this thing here can give us some answers." Red Arrow said, pointing to another pod in the center of the room.

We walked towards the pod.

Inside it was Sanctus.

Squire began to hack the system. "Project Requiem." She said, "It's a doomsday device set to destroy this world in less than sixty-nine hours."

"Are there any further details?" I asked.

"Yes. Says 'ere that it acts like a nuclear bomb… it destroys everyone on Earth, but not the Earth itself. It takes only three minutes to destroy all human life on the planet, and another five for it to become inhabitable once again. They have a select group of individuals, ranging from royalty to scientists, and that includes the Light, that will leave Earth via boom tube an hour before it goes off."

"Are you able to release Sanctus?"

"No… they're pumping her with highly unstable nuclear energy. That, combined with her abilities, could set off the bomb now. We need someone who can absorb the energy before I can set her free."

"Leave that to me." Zatanna said, "Gnirb Niatpac Mota ereh!"

Within moments, Captain Atom was here.

"What the-?" Captain started to say before Zatanna cut him off.

"Listen, we need you to absorb the nuclear energy in that pod, just long enough to get Sanctus out of there."

"Alright… but I'm seriously gonna need an explanation at some point. I just returned from an off-world mission and people at the watch tower have been going crazy."

When Captain Atom started to absorb the nuclear energy, we could see a small gauge on the screen start to go down.

"Keep it comin'." Squire said.

The gauge continued to go down until it turned green.

"Now!" I say.

Squire nodded. She opened the pod long enough to get Sanctus out and quickly shut it.

"Alright… you can stop."

Captain Atom stopped absorbing the energy. "Now, about that explanation…"

* * *

After explaining everything, Captain Atom left.

"Ugh… I feel sick…" Sanctus muttered.

"I would think so." Squire said, "You were bein' pumped full of nuclear energy."

"In other words, they were planning on making you a nuclear bomb." Kid Flash said.

"…Oh my God…"

"We may have found you, Sanctus, but we still have to save the world." I say.

"From Red Hood?"

"No… from you. It seems you were not meant to be on Earth for long… in less than sixty-nine hours, the world will end if you are not taken back to your dimension."

* * *

**A/N: *in Homer Simpson voice* Mmmm... Nuclear energy...**

**lol I dunno... tryin' to ease the tension...**


	25. Deadman

**A/N: Don't know who Deadman is? Google him.**

* * *

**Chapter 25- Deadman**

**-Artemis' POV-**

By the time we got Sanctus out and got back to Miss Martian, she had already kicked Psymon's can and released Creeper from his control.

"So, how'd you end up under Psymon's control, Creeper?" Kid Flash asked.

Creeper gave a cackle that rivaled Robin's own in creepiness. "I don't know. One minute, I'm in Gotham, looking to play hero with someone in the Bat Clan, and the next, I'm here with- who are you, anyway?"

"Oh, right… we've heard of you, but you don't know us." Kid Flash said, "I'm Kid Flash. That's Aqualad, Zatanna, Sanctus, Artemis, Red Arrow, Knight, Squire, and Miss Martian. We're here with Batman, Superboy, Redbird and Robin."

"Oh! Bats and the Boy Wonder are here?" he asked.

"Yeah? What's it to you?" I asked.

"I remember now- I was looking for Batsy because I heard about the Red Hood… which, I take it, is why he's here…" Creeper said.

"Yup." Zatanna said.

"I was thinking he'd need a little help, seeing how the Boy Wonder's become scarce. But instead of Batman, I find some weird guy with a shiny brain helmet or something… and the next thing I know, I'm here… so, you need any help?"

"Oh great, another tag-a-long…" Kid Flash said.

I smacked him upside the head.

"Ow!"

"Idiot."

"Bitch."

"Baywatch!"

"Both of you, stop." Aqualad said, "We have more important things to worry about."

We stopped, but gave each other a glare that said "This isn't over."

"Aqualad to Batman. We have found Sanctus. How are things on your end?" he said, "I see… we're on our way."

"What's up on Batman's end?" Kid Flash asked.

"It seems they've found the Red Hood. Superboy and Redbird are already out of the fight, alive, but incapacitated. Miss Martian, get the Bioship. The rest of you, follow me."

* * *

When we finally arrived to where they were, we could tell the fight was in Red Hood's favor.

Superboy was unconscious on the other side of the room. Redbird was with him, still conscious, but he didn't look too good.

"What happened to him?" I ask before joining the battle.

"Kryptonite exposure." He said, keeping his voice steady, as though he wasn't in any pain.

I nod, then go join the battle.

To say the least, the dynamic duo looked terrible.

Both Batman and Robin had several grazes and stab wounds from the knife Red Hood was using. Batman's cape was torn, and there was a gash running from his upper arm to his elbow. Robin had taken off his cape, most likely to prevent Red Hood from using it against him, and had an 'X' over his 'R' emblem. One of the white lenses of his domino mask was gone, revealing one ice-blue eye.

"What took you guys so long?" Robin asked.

"Y'know, g-gnomes, Jokers, all that fun stuff." Kid Flash said.

Robin aimed a punch a Red Hood's face, but it was dodged. "So, you guys actually kicked Joker's butt? Was it fun?"

"Oh yeah." I said.

"Wait…" Red Hood said, "Joker's here?"

"Was here." Zatanna said, "He's gone now."

"Hmph… so I don't get to have any fun, do I?" Red Hood said.

"Nope." Robin said, "So give it up! Hood, we want to help. We really do. So, stop fighting."

"I don't think so." He said.

Red Hood charged at Robin.

Robin dodged punch after punch, swipe after swipe.

But it seems he wasn't trying to get Robin that way.

Once Robin's back hit the wall, Red Hood put the knife through his shoulder. Robin let out a deafening scream.

"Robin!" Kid Flash yelled. He started to run towards him, but Red Hood grabbed the hilt of the knife.

"Careful, Flash Boy. If you're not careful, I can "accidentally" slice through his arm." Red Hood said.

Kid Flash stopped. "You son of a-"

"I'm nobody's son." He said, "Now, you have a choice… come after me… or save Bird Boy here."

Red Hood ran off.

"Are we going to go after him?" I asked.

"No." Batman said. He went up to Robin.

"This is going to be very painful." He said.

"Just get it over with…" Robin hissed.

Batman took out the knife carefully, but it didn't help with the pain. Robin managed to suppress a scream.

Robin used his good hand to take out a piece of cloth from his utility belt and placed it on the wound, making sure to keep pressure on it.

"So… we're not going after him?" Kid Flash said.

"Not yet. We have higher priorities." Batman said.

* * *

"As of now, we have fifty-three hours to get Sanctus back to the fifth dimension… but we also need to prevent Red Hood from killing off more criminals." Batman said.

"I don't think we need to worry about that…" Redbird said, "According to Etrigan, Klarion and Red Hood aren't on Earth."

"Which means they're planning something… great." I said.

"But what?" Robin asked, "Maybe I can get a hold of Deadman or Ragman or someone…"

"Deadman?" Wally asked, "Isn't he impossible to find?"

"Yeah… for those who don't believe in the supernatural." Robin said, "And he kinda needs a body to possess in order to communicate with the living."

"So, you're saying you want to get Deadman to possess one of us?" Conner asked.

"No. I want him to gather intel and pass it on by possessing me."

Everyone stared at him.

"What? He's possessed me a bunch of times." Robin said, "Long story…"

* * *

After Etrigan found Deadman, and a quick explanation, Deadman left to gather what intel he could from where Klarion and Red Hood went.

Meanwhile, we were stuck here for several hours, waiting for Deadman to possess Robin and give us the intel.

After an hour, Wally finally said, "Robin, how on Earth do you know about Etrigan and Deadman and stuff like that?"

"Batman." Robin said.

"But Batman doesn't believe in the supernatural."

"No he doesn't… but he doesn't deny it either. Think about it- he works with Superman, Zatara, Martian Manhunter, Captain Marvel, and it doesn't even stop there. Superman and Manhunter are aliens, which can be proven. Captain Marvel got his powers from the wizard Shazam… that may not be as believable, but Bas works with him every day. And Zatara should be self-explanatory."

Wally just stared at Robin.

"In other words… Batman sees to believe." He said.

"Oh… okay… but again, how do YOU know Etrigan and Deadman?" Wally asked.

"We worked with Etrigan on a couple cases, kinda like we work with Zatanna on a few missions. Usually, when we need his help, it involves demons or something like that." Robin said, "Deadman, though, he's another story. You see, he really is dead. In order to see him… well, you just can't. He interacts with people by possessing them. It's supposed to set them on the right path or something. And, again, it's his only way of communicating with us."

"I think I understand now." M'gann said, "It's kind of like how we Martians communicate on Mars… you know, without all the possessing."

"Yup."

"…So… we're probably gonna wait another couple hours… what should we do now?" I asked.

"Oh! I just remembered! Robin, do you still have your guitar here?" Sanctus asked.

"Yeah. Why?" Robin said.

"You said you'd play something. Maybe now would be a good time to do it." She said.

Robin gave a small smile. "Alright. Gimmie a second."

* * *

"_I love you_

_You were ready_

_The pain is strong enough despise_

_But I'll see you when he lets me_

_Your pain is gone,_

_Your hands are tied_

_So far away_

_And I need you to know_

_So far away_

_And I need you_

_Need you to know"_

"That song was so… so sad!" Sanctus sniffled.

"Yeah." I said.

"Which song was that?" Wally asked.

""So Far Away" by Avenged Sevenfold." Robin said.

"Huh… I would've expected a Linkin Park song." He said.

"Yeah, well… y'know…" Robin said.

"Could you do another one?" Sanctus asked.

"No. Sorry. I can only do so many songs before my guitar strings cut my fingers." He laughed.

"Please? Just one more?" Sanctus pleaded.

"…heh… Alright. One more."

"_I can't see where you're comin' from  
But I know just what you're runnin' from_

_And what matters ain't the who's baddest but  
The ones who stop you fallin' from your ladder._

_And you feel like you're feelin' now  
Doin' things just to please your crowd,_

_But I love you like the way I love you,  
And I suffer, but I ain't gonna cut you cuz_

_This ain't no place for no hero,  
This ain't no place for no better man,_

_This ain't no place for no hero,  
Go home__**…**_"

He just stopped there.

"What the- why'd you stop?" Wally asked.

Robin set down the guitar.

"Get Batman." He said, "I have the intel."

* * *

**A/N: I don't like how this chapter ended. It's stupid. -_-**

**And the songs Robin played were _So Far Away _by Avenged Sevenfold and _Short Change Hero_ by The Heavy.**

**Once again, sorry for the terrible chapter...**


	26. Meeting of the Light 3

**Chapter 26- Meeting of the Light (3)**

**-Normal POV-**

"_It appears that our weapon is gone, now."_

"_I told you Red Hood was not a good choice for this."_

"_Red Hood never promised to keep Sanctus here. He only promised to deliver her, which he did."_

"_Ra's is correct. The boy is a mercenary… we should have seen this coming."_

"_It is not a total loss… we did gather some valuable data from Sanctus… and it appears that we have found new use for Project X."_

"_New use? I thought we chose to scrap the project?"_

"_Yes… but that was before this happened."_

"_But the original sample is gone… and the reason we scrapped this project was because the cloning process went wrong."_

"_That can be solved easily… we just need a new sample. Two, actually. One from the hero… and the other from his counterpart."_

"_I see… something similar to Project Kr."_

"_Yes… but this time, he will be loyal to the Light."_


	27. Trust and Treachery

**Chapter 27- Trust and Treachery**

**-Red Hood's POV-**

Okay, I admit it… it was a pretty cowardly move on my part.

Using the Boy Wonder as a hostage is what most of the bad guys do. They know daddybats won't go anywhere near them if they use a hostage, especially if it his little bird.

And it's not like I tied the kid up above a pool of acid or locked him in a room that's slowly filling up with deadly gas.

Although, in all honesty, the knife did have a small bomb that I could've activated if anyone followed. Nobody did, though.

So, in other words, it's an overused method, but, as many Pokémon games put it, it's super effective.

I had just planned to go my own way from there… but the annoying Witch Boy had something else to say about it.

"We're not done with you, yet." Klarion said.

"Uh, you kinda are." I said, "I was told to give you the girl and get under the Bat's skin, which I did. Now, leave me alone before I kick your magical ass back to whatever century you and your little mutt-cat came from."

"Let me rephrase that." Klarion said, "I'm not done with you. I still have something for you to do… and I think it'll be fun for both of us."

"Not interested."

"It involves the Bat Family."

"…I'm in."

* * *

"Where are we?" I asked.

"Earth-17." Klarion said, "We're supposed to get a sample… and someone to help you with your Bat issues."

"Someone to help with my Bat problem? Who on Earth would- oh… I know who you're talking about."

"Yeah. Owlman. What better way to help with a Bat problem than an Owl?" Klarion cackled.

"You have a point… so, what- or who- is the sample we're supposed to find?" I asked.

"Owlman's brat, Talon."

"Talon? What, we making a clone of him?"

"…hehe, You could say that."

"I don't like the sound of that." I said.

"Eh, too bad."

* * *

Talon was easy to find. You could hear the kid barking orders halfway across the city.

Talon was like Robin in a lot of ways. He had the same height and build of the kid, same acrobatic expertise, even the same secret identity. However, Talon could have been one of the good guys… instead, after his parents died, he was adopted by an abusive foster family. His only escape was to kill them.

The scary part is, he enjoyed it. He got some kind of sick, twisted joy from the sight of blood, the screams of agony from his victims.

That's how he got Owlman- and the rest of the Crime Syndicate's- attention.

Owlman killed quick and cleanly, like it was a fine art.

Talon, like me, made sure they suffered. We had different reasons to do so… for him, that adrenaline rush from the kill… for me, the thought of knowing the creep deserved it.

And you know what? It almost scares me to know that the Boy Wonder back where I'm from could do the same thing if he wanted to.

Anyway, Talon was barking orders to a group of henchmen. Half of them looked like they wanted to kill the kid… and the other half were scared that Talon would kill them.

"What do you want?" Talon finally said.

"Well, it's good to see you, too." Klarion said.

"What do you want, Witch Boy?" Talon said again, with more force.

"Two things." Klarion said, "We need a sample of your DNA and we're going to need to borrow Owlman for a few hours."

"Why?" he asked.

"Well, the sample part's a secret, but we need Owlman to help with… a bat issue, if you will."

Talon gave him this look that just said "bite me" and sighed. "Alright. I can't promise Owlman… if I'm correct, he's off conquering the Middle East or something with his girlfriend… but I'll give the sample if you can do one tiny thing for me."

"How tiny?" I asked.

"Oh, it's simple, really… you just gotta get Dula Dent outta my face. Freaking clown girl won't leave me alone, and when I try to kill her, she's gone." Talon said.

"Dula Dent?" I asked.

"Jokester's daughter. Really pale, loud and annoying, purple outfit, ginger? You can't miss her."

* * *

Talon was right. You couldn't miss her.

She was, as he said, loud and annoying. Dula had short, bright red hair and a white complexion. She had blood red lips, drawn up in a smile that reminded me of the Joker. It made it really hard to believe she was one of the good guys.

"Hmm… so we have the lord of Chaos and the Boy Wonder-gone-bad… Gotta admit, I was hoping Talon would come out and play… oh, well, can't win 'em all." She said.

While she was annoying, Dula was one hell of a fighter. It was like taking on Joker, Batman, and Robin at once with your arms tied behind your back.

"This is getting on my nerves." Klarion said, "You finish her. I'm finding Owlman."

"What? You can't leave me with her!" I yell.

"Hey? What's so wrong with being around me?" Dula shrieked.

"Too bad, Red Hood. See you soon!"

With that, Klarion was gone.

"Ugh… I really hate that guy…" I muttered.

"Then why are you working with him?" Dula asked.

"I have a temporary truce with him and the other idiots he works with." I said.

"Temporary..? Why don't you just cut it now?" she asked.

"…I dunno." I said, "I guess it's because I have a little grudge against someone."

"Ah… I see… but why don't you handle it yourself? Too lazy?"

"No!"

"Don't you want the satisfaction of taking down your enemy for yourself?"

"Well, yeah."

Dula laughed, "Then break the truce. You're gonna have to if you wanna make Batman suffer."

"What? How do you know I was talking about Batman?" I asked.

"Woman's intuition."

"Of course." I say, "So… you wouldn't happen to have a way to get out of here, would you?"

* * *

"So, did you finish her?" Klarion asked.

"Yup." I said.

"Good. I already talked to Owlman. He'll be here shortly."

"Yeah, about that… I just told him that you had a 'surprise' waiting for him there. He'll be here to kick your magical ass."

"What?" Klarion howled angrily.

"You heard me, Witch Boy. Owlman's pissed. He's gonna destroy you." I laughed, "And just to be safe…"

I shot at Klarion's cat.

"Teekl!"

"WITCH BOY!"

"That's my cue." I say.

"You little brat!" Owlman yelled.

I turned away to leave, only to come face-to-face with Talon.

"Wow… so, you pretty much betrayed your… partner, I guess you'd call him?" he said.

"Yeah… but that's only so I can have the satisfaction of making Batman suffer." I said.

"That's bull shit and we all know it. You couldn't stand him, could you?"

"You know, you remind me of someone I highly dislike."

"Good. That means I'm doing my job. So, you wanna stick around and see what goes down?" Talon asked.

"No. I gotta go. Now." I said.

* * *

I can't believe I'm saying this, but it feels good to be in Gotham again.

I look at the test tube that I held in my hand. Inside was a sample of Talon's blood, courtesy of Dula Dent.

Don't ask me how she got it or why she had it, but she gave it to me none the less.

I decide to give it to the Light. After all, I was promised additional money if I got it to them.

"_Where is Klarion?"_

"What am I, his babysitter? How the hell should I know where he went?" I asked.

"_No matter. We have the sample. A quarter of a million dollars has been transferred to your Swiss account."_

"_We have one more job that you might find… interesting."_

"I'm listening."

"_We need a sample of the Boy Wonder's DNA. If you can get that to us, we will transfer another billion to your Swiss account."_

"…I'm in." I said.

* * *

Getting bird boy's little team to come after me was child's play.

While I was gone from this world, Klarion had gone to hell (literally) to get something. I had a feeling Batman would send Etrigan to find Deadman and gather some intel.

So, that's why I'm here in Arkham, disguised as one of the security personnel.

I spent hours looking through files prior to coming here. I know every last nook and cranny in this hell hole and where each inmate is.

Showtime.

I turn on the alarms to cause a panic. Every last inmate was released.

Most of the guards panic… they leave.

I kill the ones that remain, so they don't get in my way.

I shoot a psycho here, stab another one there, all while wondering where they are.

My question is answered moments later, when a steel-toed boot smashed my helmet.

"What took you so long, Boy Wonder?" I asked.

Instead of an answer, Robin aimed a kick at my head, which I dodged.

"Whoa! You're mad, aren't you?" I laughed.

This is perfect.

The normally cool-headed brat's on a rampage… not exactly a good thing… for him, anyway.

Now, if I can just get the kid to stay still long enough to get a sample.

I take out my knife. Even a little blood will make the Light happy.

Now, here's where it gets really annoying…

Each swipe is dodged.

Each stab is avoided.

I can't get to him easily.

I aim a kick at Robin's side. Unlike before, it connects.

Before he had the chance to react, I stabbed the knife through his leg. He bits back a howl and aims a punch at my face.

It connects, but I don't let go of the knife.

Now, I just need to get outta here…

I'm about to run out of Arkham before I feel something around my ankles.

Bolo rope. Of course.

"Hood!"

I see Robin charge at me, his wound not slowing him down.

I manage to cut myself free, but I'm tackled to the ground in seconds.

"Red Hood… Jason… stop this." He says.

His voice… it almost sounded like he was pleading.

"Why should I?" I ask, "It's not like anyone cares!"

"We all know that isn't true!"

"Oh, really? I'm just another freakin' charity case, just. Like. You." I hiss.

His fist connects with my face.

"You really think that?" he yelled.

I froze.

Dick Grayson never yelled. Never.

"Do you even know what we went through after you died? Bruce was never the same… he thought it was his fault you died! He blamed himself! Do you have any fucking idea what the hell he went through?"

I was quiet for a moment.

"I don't blame him for my death." I said, "What I blame him for is letting that creep Joker live! I would've thought that after that sick, twisted clown killed me, he would've done something about it!"

"He didn't want to cross that line!" Dick yelled.

"Why? Is it really that hard?"

"Don't you get it? It's too damn easy to cross that line! And once you cross it, there's no turning back! We all know that, Jason!"

He raised his fist. I prepared for impact.

But it never came.

Dick stood up and turned away.

"Y'know… just forget it. It's impossible to even try to talk you out of this." He said.

* * *

After that, I really gave some thought on what I was doing.

I was working with criminals.

Criminals I vowed to kill.

They want a blood sample from the kid I once worked with.

I came up with a new plan.

Let them have the sample… and kill each and every one of them before they can do anything with it.

* * *

**A/N: Sorry to say you guys won't find out what they do with the sample in this story... it's in a future fanfic ;P**


	28. Farewells

**Chapter 28- Farewells**

**-Robin's POV-**

Deadman's intel led us to the last place we'd think to go to- Arkham Asylum.

We know where… who… but why?

Deadman said that he didn't know why Red Hood was going there… he just sensed that there was 'ill intent' towards Klarion.

But, again, what does Arkham Asylum have to do with this?

Maybe he has a contact there?

No, that couldn't be. The last person he'd ever team up with (besides anyone from the Bat Family) is a criminal.

Then again… he was working with criminals…

Okay, so maybe having a contact there is possible… but I'm gonna go with highly unlikely.

Maybe he has a grudge he wants to settle?

Okay, we know he has many grudges… actually, I think he has a bit of a grudge with… well, everyone.

So that one's highly likely.

What if he knew Deadman was there? What if he faked him out?

Okay, well, that one's downright impossible, but as a detective, I need to explore every option.

Even so… he was trained by Batman. He might have found a way to fool Deadman.

* * *

We're in Arkham a little while later.

We were expecting him to be in an area security rarely go… instead, there was a riot going on.

"Robin! Go after Red Hood!" Aqualad shouted, "We will hold off the rioters."

I nodded, before jumping out of the bioship.

* * *

I feel Red Hood's helmet shatter under my foot, revealing the face of Jason Todd. Underneath the helmet, he wore a red domino mask… apparently to prevent anyone from discovering his identity.

"What took you so long, Boy Wonder?" Jason asked.

I was too angry to answer. Instead, I just aimed a kick at his head.

"Whoa! You're mad, aren't you?" he laughed.

Hell yeah, I'm mad.

I'm fucking pissed!

But I have to stay cool. I take a deep breath in an attempt to calm down.

Red Hood took out his knife.

I dodge each swipe and stab.

Make it as difficult as possible to catch me… make sure he can't land a hit.

He managed to kick me in the side…

Before I have even a second to react, a bolt of pain goes through my leg. I bite back a howl of pain and punch his face.

He starts to run… but there's no way in hell I'm letting him get away that easily.

I throw a bolo rope at him. It ties around his ankles.

"Hood!" I yell. My leg protests, but I ignore it.

Jason cuts himself free, but I quickly tackle him to the ground.

"Red Hood… Jason… stop this." I plead.

"Why should I?" he asks, "It's not like anyone cares!"

"We all know that isn't true!"

"Oh, really? I'm just another freakin' charity case, just. Like. You." He hissed.

I punch him in the face.

"You really think that?" I yelled. "Do you even know what we went through after you died? Bruce was never the same… he thought it was his fault you died! He blamed himself! Do you have any fucking idea what the hell he went through?"

He was quiet for a moment.

"I don't blame him for my death." I said, "What I blame him for is letting that creep Joker live! I would've thought that after that sick, twisted clown killed me, he would've done something about it!"

"He didn't want to cross that line!" I yelled.

"Why? Is it really that hard?"

"Don't you get it? It's too damn easy to cross that line! And once you cross it, there's no turning back! We all know that, Jason!"

I raised my fist. I wanted to hit him again.

But I didn't. I was really getting tired of this.

I stood up and turned away.

"Y'know… just forget it. It's impossible to even try to talk you out of this." I said.

* * *

I didn't want to talk to anyone after that. I just stayed in my room at Mount Justice, not caring what anyone had to say.

I wanted time to think things through… to think of things I could do to get Jason to understand.

But, in the end, I know there's nothing I can do.

He chose his path… just like Bruce chose his, and I chose mine.

In the middle of all my thoughts, I hear a knock at my door.

"Rob?" Wally asked.

"It's open!" I say.

Wally walked in. "You've been locked in here for hours. What's up?"

"Just thinking." I said.

"That doesn't answer my question." He says.

"It's not supposed to, Kid Mouth." I say.

"C'mon, dude. Talk to me."

"…I dunno, man. I guess I'm still kinda upset that Ja- I mean, Red Hood did that."

"It's rough on you, isn't it?" he asked.

"Yeah." I said.

"And I bet Bats isn't feeling much better about it, either." Wally said.

"Yeah."

"Is there anything you can do about it?" he asked.

"…No. I can't do anything. Red Hood chose his own path, just like I did. I'll just have to accept the fact that we're on opposite sides of the law from here on out." I said.

"Alright." Wally said, "Now, come on out! We still have to get Sanctus home."

I smile. "Right."

* * *

"I have enjoyed my short time on this world." Sanctus said, "And I will miss you all."

"We'll miss you, too, Sanctus." M'gann said.

"Don't forget to visit us sometime!" I said.

"I will." She said.

"Sanctus, do not forget that you will always be a member of the team." Kaldur said.

"I will remember." Sanctus said, "If you ever need me, I will be here."

"Dimensionem quinque!" she said.

She was gone in a burst of light.

* * *

"You're never this quiet." Bruce said.

"I've been thinking about stuff." I said, "For some reason, I feel like I'm forgetting something… ugh, now it's gonna bother me all- oh, crap!"

"What is it?" he asked.

"Penguin! I forgot Sanctus transferred him to an off-world prison!" I said, "We have to… aww, screw it, I really don't care."

Bruce smirked. "You want to play some ball?" he asked.

I smiled. "Yeah!"


	29. Place and Time

**Chapter 29- Place and Time**

**-Sanctus's POV-**

My time as a member in Young Justice was short… but they were some of the best days of my life.

I found everyone, from the original members to the reserve members, very interesting.

Had my time on Earth not been cut short, I believe that I would have really made a difference in their world.

But it seems fate had a very different path for me.

It appears that I am not meant to be a long-term hero.

So be it. I do not have to stay in a world for my entire life to make a difference.

I decided that I would go from one world to the next, from timeline to timeline, to help protect the innocent.

I am a traveling hero… I have no true home.

But it does not bother me.

Not in the least.

I have worked with heroes in every world.

Long before Krypton was destroyed… long before it actually had a name, I helped Nightwing and Flamebird protect their people.

I helped Princess Koriand'r of Tamaran free herself from slavery… but I was too late to save her planet.

I have even helped Robin's adult counterpart, who, in his world, had taken up the mantle of Batman, with numerous cases.

There were times when I got there in time… and others when I was just too late.

I celebrate my victories… I mourn my losses.

To think… it all started because I was, as most would put it, a "fangirl".

I admit, I was unsure of myself. I may have the powers, but that does not mean I can control it.

I ended up in a plot in which the Light intended to use my powers to hurt… but my friends saved me.

* * *

I am here, in the fifth dimension, watching what happens with my friends from a great distance.

So much has happened in such a short time.

Zatanna lost her father to Doctor Fate.

Superboy discovered that he was only half Kryptonian… and he was a half-clone of Lex Luthor.

Miss Martian revealed who she really is.

Robin worked to save what used his home from the law.

Artemis proves that she can be trusted.

Rocket joined the team.

Red Arrow discovered he was a clone.

I see the pain that they go through. I see the happiness.

I see sorrow, hatred, and love.

Broken hearts.

Broken memories.

They've been through good and bad, but I can see that they are there for each other.

I stop watching, for I now have work to do.

And, I make a note to myself… I need to visit them soon. It's been a year since I left, and I did promise to see them.


	30. Tim Drake's Case Notes

**A/N: Just because. We all know Timmy can't keep his nose out of Batman and Robin-related cases. Anyway, this is the final chapter of Sanctus. :D**

**Chapter 30- Tim Drake's Case Notes**

**-Tim's POV-**

_**Tim Drake's Case Notes**_

_**#034- Stranger Occurrences in Gotham**_

_Some pretty weird things have been going on in Gotham. Well, weirder than usual._

_I don't know if it's just because I'm paranoid, but something about today just feels… I dunno… off._

_I wonder if it has something to do with the number of times Joker broke out of Arkham. I mean, really. It seems like he gets out every other day._

_Plus, there was that attack on Gotham Academy. If Robin wasn't there and Red Arrow hadn't shown up, then there would've been a mass homicide._

_And last night, I could've sworn I saw something- or someone- run past my window. It wasn't a Gotham rogue that I knew about, or a member of the Bat Family... so, who (or what) was that?_

_So, that blur that ran past my window is apparently a new hero._

_Dick had a run-in with her when he went after Penguin. The girl, who called herself Sanctus, had said something and Penguin was gone._

_That was all he learned about her… but that seem to explain why some things are so strange._

_Now, when trying to find out how the Joker keeps breaking out, I discovered something very interesting._

_Apparently, someone bailed him out. It's unknown who or why, but my guess is Joker's working with this guy._

* * *

_**#035- Criminal Killings**_

_It's been a while since I've kept up with any important cases. Lately, it's all been related to strange things happening in Gotham._

_But this, by far, has got to be the strangest._

_Recently, minor criminals have been found dead. Most are in local drug rings and weapon trafficking rings. I've also noticed that the deaths vary from one to the next._

_As of now, there have been 200 deaths, varying from gunshots to beheadings. Even Batman doesn't know who's doing the killings... so we're in for one hell of a ride._

_So far, there have been another 20 killings. And the guy is still at it. The body count continues to grow._

_However, we do know who's behind the killings._

_Apparently, it's the second Robin… Jason Todd. He's calling himself the RED Hood._

_What confuses me so much is that he's dead. The dead stay dead._

_But Dick's told me about the Lazarus pit… that it can bring back the dead._

_He also told me the pit causes temporary insanity... maybe that has something to do with it?_

_I know for a fact that if the media learned that the Red Hood was Jason Todd- a boy who died years ago- there would be far too many questions._

* * *

_**#036- The Light**_

_Somehow, those two cases are related. I know it._

_Dick confirmed my suspicion earlier today._

_Apparently, he encountered Red Hood in Japan earlier that night. With him was Klarion, the Witch Boy._

_And it seems they were working together… as though Jason was a diversion. We're convinced that this is the story because Sanctus went missing for a short time._

_At the moment, I'm tracking down Red Hood and trying to contact Jason Blood, which is proving to be a bit difficult._

_Jason Blood said something was off with the universe._

_After a little hunting, he, as Etrigan, discovered that Sanctus was about to cause the apocalypse. If she's not retuned within three days… well, that should be obvious._

_I already told Dick, who I'm pretty sure told Bruce. With any luck, we should have more information on this and be able to prevent the world from ending._

* * *

_**#037- Nuclear Weapon in the Himalayas**_

_I was told to meet the team at Mount Justice._

_I didn't see it coming, but I was told that I would be needed to track down Red Hood._

_I also learned that I might possibly have what it takes to be Robin._

_Anyway, I was told that they were pumping Sanctus with nuclear energy. They were planning on creating a weapon to take out humanity._

_Sound familiar?_

_Looks like Ra's al Ghūl was attempting to kill off everyone… again…_

_We have Sanctus now… but we have another problem to deal with at the moment…_

* * *

_**#038- Riot at Arkham**_

_Our favorite antihero has resurfaced… and this time, he started a riot at Arkham Asylum._

_However, it appeared to be a diversion. He just stabbed Dick in the leg and left._

_Why do I feel there's something more to this case?_

* * *

**A/N: The End..?**


End file.
